HEALTH

Social Care

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will bring forward proposals on the future funding of social care.

Ivan Lewis: Proposals to cover the period 2008-11 will be brought in as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn. The Government recognise the need to address the longer-term funding issues, too, as identified in last year's pre-Budget report, but the timing has not yet been established.

NHS Trust Deficits

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the proportion of NHS trusts which will be in deficit at the end of 2007-08.

Andy Burnham: We have received financial plans for 2007-08 and these are now subject to final validation and sign-off with the national health service. At this stage, the figures are encouraging, with only around 6 per cent. of organisations forecasting a year end deficit, compared with 22 per cent. in 2006-07, as reported in our provisional outturn in the Department's NHS Financial Performance in Quarter Four 2006-07 report.
	The NHS continues to build on the good financial health achieved in 2006-07, and enters 2007-08 in its strongest financial position for many years.

Access to NHS Treatment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of differences in access to NHS treatment in different parts of the country; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trusts to assess local health needs and commission services to meet them. The Department supports primary care trusts by funding them on the basis of their assessment of their population's health needs. Waiting lists are at a record low and falling. Guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is promoting much more consistent access to cost-effective drugs and other specific interventions.

NHS Staff Morale

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of staff morale in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: The Healthcare Commission Annual Staff Survey measures a range of things that contribute to the level of staff morale such as job satisfaction and work-life balance. The 2006 survey results are being analysed with national health service trade union representatives in the National Social Partnership Forum.

Cottage Hospitals

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of cottage hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Government are committed to delivering more health services in community settings—community or cottage hospitals are key to this. We are making available £750 million capital funding for the development of community hospitals and services.

Smoking Ban

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with public bodies on the introduction of the smoking ban in England.

Caroline Flint: The Department has had discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, both public and private, to support them to understand the requirements of the new smokefree law and to build compliance ahead of 1 July 2007. The Department has also provided support, advice and resources to local councils and port health authorities to assist with preparations for them to undertake their role as enforcement authorities for the new smokefree law.

Smoking Ban

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has allocated to the advertising of the impending 1 July smoking ban in public places.

Caroline Flint: To ensure that businesses and members of the public across England are aware of the requirements of the new smokefree law and its implementation on 1 July, the Department is undertaking an extensive communications campaign. The budget for advertising smokefree legislation is £5.8 million.
	Research undertaken in early June, almost a month before the law comes into effect, shows that awareness of the new law among the general public stands at 95 per cent. and spontaneous awareness of the implementation date is 83 per cent. Similar research with businesses shows that 96 per cent. are aware of the new law and 93 per cent. spontaneously state that 1 July is the day the law comes into effect. Also, 86 per cent. of businesses feel that enough information has been made available to help them prepare for the new law.

Community Hospital: Malvern

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make an announcement about a new community hospital in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Andy Burnham: NHS West Midlands and Worcestershire primary care trust are currently reviewing the continued applicability and robustness of the business case for a new community hospital in Malvern.

Midwives

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of midwives needed to ensure delivery of the Government's policy in Maternity Matters.

Rosie Winterton: The 2007-08 NHS Operating Framework requires local national health service organisations to undertake a review of their maternity services including an assessment of their work force capacity.
	It is important that these decisions are made locally as they know their local needs best and can ensure that services are developed to meet these needs.

Carers

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued for the introduction of emergency respite care for carers in England.

Ivan Lewis: Next month, we plan to issue guidance on the introduction of emergency short breaks to councils and £25 million will be made available to support implementation of the guidance from October 2007.

Carers

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) under and  (b) over the age of 60 were registered as carers in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Individuals are not registered as carers nationally. However, the 2001 census indicates that there are 5.2 million carers in England and Wales.

GP Appointments

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she provides to GPs on whether more than one condition may be considered at each patient visit.

Andy Burnham: None. It is for general practitioners to apply their professional and clinical judgment when assessing patients who present.

Blood: CJD

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007 to question 142988, what the batch numbers were that were provided to NHS trusts, primary care trusts and to the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation.

Caroline Flint: Details of the implicated batch numbers were provided by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation who wrote to all Haemophilia centre clinicians so that they could inform patients about their individual risk status. The HPA also provided the batch numbers to national health service trusts and primary care trusts for information.
	Each patient was asked to indicate whether or not they wished to know if they had received an implicated batch, and informed according to their wishes. As some patients indicated through their clinicians that they do not wish to be informed, it would be inappropriate to publish full details of batch numbers.

Carbon Monoxide

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 911W to the hon. Member for Dudley North on carbon monoxide, how many of the deaths listed were caused by  (a) domestic gas appliances and  (b) other locations and types of appliances.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of deaths  Caused by domestic gas (including appliances)  Other locations and types of appliances 
			 1996 1,016 31 985 
			 1997 840 28 812 
			 1998 724 37 687 
			 1999 666 26 640 
			 2000 521 25 496 
			 2001 480 22 458 
			 2002 418 20 398 
			 2003 416 11 405 
			 2004 297 18 279 
			 2005 257 (1)16 197 
			 (1) Provisional.

Community Health Services: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) consultants and  (b) other medically qualified personnel were practising in the public health medicine and community health services specialties in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff within the public health medicine and community health services group ,  England 
			  N umber (headcount) 
			   A t 30 September each year 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 
			 All medical and dental staff 5,003 4,796 4,404 4,299 3,782 3,388 3,472 3,533 3,385 3,283 
			 Medical and dental consultant 800 797 804 847 852 779 857 926 927 885 
			 All other medical and dental staff(1) 4,203 3,999 3,600 3,452 2,930 2,609 2,615 2,607 2,458 2,398 
			  Notes: 1. All other medical and dental staff includes qualified clinical staff at the following grades; associate specialist, staff grade, registrar group, senior house officer, house officer, F2, Fl, hospital practitioner, clinical assistant, senior dental officer, dental officer, senior clinical medical officer, clinical medical officer, clinical director, assistant clinical direct, dental clinical director, dental assistant, clinical director, other (medical practitioners doing part-time work), other (salaried dental practitioner)  2. Some trusts and primary care trusts (PCT) have included health visitors, school nurses and other non-medically qualified staff in the public health medicine specialty prior to revised definitions being published by the Information Centre in 2005-06.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census. 
		
	
	The Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services Group includes the following specialties:
	Dental public health;
	Public health medicine;
	Community health services dental; and
	Community health services medical.
	There has been an increase in the number of consultants in public health working in the national health service of 85 (10 per cent.) between 1997 and 2006.
	Over the same period the number of other public health staff numbers has decreased by 1,805 (57 per cent.). This is in part due to changes in the way the data are collected and coded. For example, health visitors, district nurses, general practitioners and other professionals, who are not formally coded as public health staff, perform public health tasks. There has been growth in many of these groups. There is also variation from trust to trust in which exact roles are classed as public health. In addition, the definition of the public health specialty has been more closely defined in recent years resulting in the exclusion of groups of staff such as health visitors and school nurses who some trusts and PCTs previously included as public health staff.
	A public health workforce collection was conducted on 28 February 2007 which asked NHS to return information on their public health staff in post on that date. The Information Centre is currently analysing this data with a view to publication in the autumn.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by staff in her Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has spent the following on credit, procurement and fuel cards in the last three years:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Total 
			 Credit card 8 0 n/a 8 
			 Procurement card 1,346 3,051 2,715 7,112 
			 Fuel card n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	The figures have been extracted from the Department's financial systems and from statements supplied by the bank provider.
	Credit cards held by staff ceased to exist from May 2005. These were superseded with Government procurement cards (GPC). Unlike a consumer credit card, which offers consumers extended credit facilities, GPC cards were introduced to consolidate high-occurrence small value purchases, with procurement card invoices to be settled in full at the end of each billing period.
	The Department has not held any fuel cards for the period in question.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Ivan Lewis: "Devolution concordat on health and social care: UK Department of Health, Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety" was published in 2001. It governs relations between the Department and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
	A copy of this Concordat is available in the Library.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff surveys her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Ivan Lewis: In the last 12 months the Department has conducted one staff survey, in March 2007. Analysis of the results of the survey continues and therefore the final costs are not yet known. We anticipate it to cost similar to the survey in 2006 which cost £23,000.

Departments: Surveys

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library copies of her departmental employee surveys for  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1560W.

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds are available to assist the victims of domestic violence to recover from their experiences.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	This year, the Ministry of Justice has committed £3 million to fund independent domestic violence advisers: trained specialists whose goal is to ensure the safety and recovery of victims of domestic violence.
	The Home Office has allocated £2 million to fund the local delivery of support services for victims of domestic violence and their children, and just under £2 million has been made available to local areas for the development of multi-agency risk assessment conferences, which aim to ensure the safety of identified high risk victims, and help them recover from their experiences without fear of repeat victimisation.
	Safe housing is integral to victims' recovery, and Support People funding is available to provide housing-related support for victims of domestic violence. In 2005-06, over £59 million was made available through this funding.
	The Government also part funds a matrix of helplines which provide support and information to victims of domestic violence, to enable them to access assistance and support to help them recover from domestic violence.
	In addition to this, health services have been making significant progress in the early identification of, and intervention with, victims of domestic violence—for example, rolling out making routine inquiries of all pregnant women, and taking forward work on collecting violent crime data (including domestic violence data) through electronic patient records.

Drugs: Guernsey

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will place a copy of the response from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to the recent consultation by the Bailiwick of Guernsey on its draft medicines legislation in the Library; and if she will make a statement on that response;
	(2)  if she will invite the Governments of Guernsey and Jersey to attend a meeting with the Health Food Manufacturers' Association to discuss issues relating to the trade in food supplements and unlicensed medicinal products.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Ministry of Justice have met with the Health Food Manufacturers' Association to discuss issues relating to the trade in food supplements and unlicensed medicinal products via the Channel Islands. Further information has been requested to assist in discussions with the island Governments. There are no plans to invite the governments of Guernsey and Jersey to a meeting with the Health Food Manufacturer's Association.
	A copy of the MHRA's response to the consultation by the Bailiwick of Guernsey on its draft medicines legislation has been placed in the Library. The MHRA's response said that the proposed legislation did not implement the Medicines Directive, it offered assistance to the Bailiwick of Guernsey in implementing the directive and asked for the Bailiwicks proposed time scale.

General Practitioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 571W, on general practitioners, what process for managing discussions and negotiations was agreed by the NHS Confederation; what timetable was agreed; and which parties were involved.

Andy Burnham: This information is contained in news releases and regular updates issued by the NHS Confederation, relevant text copies have been placed in the Library.
	The press notice dated July 2001 outlined the initial steps taken to develop the process and identified the need for urgent discussions. The subsequent updates set out the arrangements put in place.

Health Services: Armed Forces

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to inform general practitioners of the particular  (a) medical and  (b) mental health needs of (i) former and (ii) serving armed forces' personnel; and whether she has a system for monitoring the effectiveness of such communications.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has embarked on a number of pilots, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and service charities, to improve access to mental health care for ex-servicemen. The health care of serving armed forces is the responsibility of the MOD.

Injuries: Cycling

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children who had suffered injuries while cycling were admitted into  (a) accident and emergency units and  (b) other hospital services in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: Data on children admitted to hospital as in-patients who had suffered injuries while cycling are shown in the table. Data are shown for all inpatient admissions and for inpatient admissions of those who initially attended accident and emergency (A&E) units. Data are not available centrally on children attending A&E units who are not subsequently admitted as in-patients.
	
		
			  Count of finished in year admission episodes for children aged 0-14 years suffering injuries while cycling shown by all admission methods and admission via A & E, 2003-04 to 2005-06 ,  national health service hospital s,  England 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Admission via A&E 5,162 5,216 5,214 
			 Other admission methods 765 712 717 
			 Total admissions 5,927 5,928 5,931 
			  Notes: 1. Data are for International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD10) external cause codes V10 to V19, which relate to pedal cyclist injuries. 2. Admission via A&E covers the following admission methods: Emergency—via A&E services, including the casualty department of the provider; Emergency—other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another healthcare provider. 3. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

IVF

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in ensuring that primary care trusts follow the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on access to IVF treatment.

Caroline Flint: In welcoming the clinical guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2004, we advised that the Department would be looking to primary care trusts (PCTs) who provided no in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to meet a minimum level of one cycle of IVF by April 2005, and to make progress to the full implementation of the guideline in the longer term. This guideline is due to be reviewed in 2008.
	The NICE clinical guideline has raised the profile of infertility within the national health service. However, the primary responsibility for implementing NICE guidelines, including the rate of implementation, rests with the NHS at local level. The consideration that PCTs give to this is part of the range of factors that they, in liaison with local health bodies and patient groups, take into account in deciding their policy on the provision of treatment services for their locality. This policy will reflect local health needs and priorities.
	The Department is funding the patient support organisation Infertility Network UK to help PCTs share best practice and engage with fertility patients in the planning and prioritisation of fertility services.

Medical Records: Databases

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government Health Minister on  (a) plans to create an electronic care record for patients,  (b) confidentiality matters arising from the proposed system and  (c) the cost of implementation of the Choose and Book electronic referral system for GPs.

Caroline Flint: None. Health services in Wales, and the information technology used to support them, including the creation of electronic care records for Welsh patients, are matters for the Welsh Assembly Government. However, officials from the Department and NHS Connecting for Health work closely with officials from the Welsh Assembly Government and Informing Healthcare Wales on a range of matters of common concern.

Mental Health: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Health Minister on a mental health measure for Wales.

Rosie Winterton: I have had a discussion with the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services, and have received and replied to a letter from her regarding mental health measures for Wales in the last week.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department plans to audit progress in relation to the objectives established in the musculoskeletal services framework.

Ivan Lewis: The Department will not directly audit progress in relation to the objectives established in the musculoskeletal services framework (MSF) as the purpose of this document is best practice guidance. It is up to local health systems to decide which changes to implement in order to meet the objectives set out in the MSF.

NHS: Non-geographic Numbers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to question 138605, whether national health service organisations using 09 or 087 numbers established before April 2005 are still able to use them.

Andy Burnham: Regulations came into force in April 2005 which prevented national health service dentists, NHS opticians, general practitioner practices and out of hours providers from establishing new premium rate telephone numbers for patients seeking to contact services. Existing numbers were not affected. Ministers decided not to issue directions to enforce a migration of existing numbers to low-cost alternatives such as 0844 or 0845 in the light of Ofcom's decision to review its numbering system. Ofcom has now created a new country-wide number range 03 for public and not for profit bodies, which are charged to the consumer at the local rate, and has now started allocating numbers using the 03 prefix.
	The Department expects decisions on telephone numbers in primary care to be based on what is in the best interests of patients taking account of the Central Office of Information guidance on cost to the citizen.
	NHS trusts and foundation trusts are not affected by the aforementioned regulations.

Service Categories

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1384-5W, on service categories, whether service category 27 is inclusive of  (a) service category 25 and  (b) Common Procurement Vocabulary Codes 74511000-4, and from 85000000-9 to 85323000-9, except 85321000-5 and 85322000-2.

Andy Burnham: Service category 27 is not inclusive of service category 25. Common Procurement Vocabulary Codes 745 11000-4, and from 85000000-9 to 85323000-9, except 85321000-5 and 85322000-2, are not included in Service Category 27.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government has any plans to license tobacco retailers; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government considered different ways of further controlling the selling of tobacco products, including positive and negative licensing, and consulted on these options last year. A copy of this consultation document "Consultation on Under-Age Sale of Tobacco", published on 3 July 2006, is available in the Library. In line with the proposal in the consultation, the Government intend to introduce a negative licensing system at the first legislative opportunity. Under this scheme, retailers who repeatedly flout the law on under-age sale of tobacco will be liable to orders prohibiting them from selling tobacco.

Tomography: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients from Wales were referred to  (a) fixed location positron emission tomography (PET) scanners and  (b) the mobile PET scanners in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many positron emission tomography scans were procured from private operators in England for NHS patients from Wales in the last 12 months.

Andy Burnham: These are issues for the National Assembly for Wales.

Voluntary Work: Publicity

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the departmental publication Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme 2007 cost to produce.

Ivan Lewis: A finalised invoice for the production and distribution of the 2007 Opportunities for Volunteering report has not yet been received by officials at the Department. The initial estimate provided was £6,906.

PRIME MINISTER

Peers

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister if he will request the House of Lords Appointment Commission to publish all recommendations for appointment of non-party political peers and all nominations for peerages made by political parties for peerages since it was established.

Tony Blair: As has been the practice of successive Governments, and continued by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), nomination forms for peerages are confidential.
	HOLAC publishes a list of the individuals selected for appointment as non-party political peers on its website (www.lordsappointments.gov.uk).

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which UK banks the Office of Fair Trading  (a) is monitoring and  (b) plans to monitor, with respect to the bank charges levied against individuals who exceed their overdraft limit or where a cheque or direct debit is refused.

Ian McCartney: The OFT market study into personal current accounts is being undertaken in consultation with a range of interested parties, including major current account providers and their representatives.
	At present the consultation with interested parties remains confidential. This exercise involves collecting and assessing sensitive information and, if the names of the persons involved in an ongoing investigation of this nature were vulnerable to disclosure, this could prejudice the full and frank disclosure of information as part of the investigation, and discourage co-operation with future OFT investigations.
	The findings of the study are due to be published by the end of 2007.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to require banks to publicise their methods of calculating the penalty charges levied on customers when overdraft limits are exceeded or cheques or direct debits are returned.

Ian McCartney: It will be for the OFT to take or recommend any action in the light of its market study findings, including its investigation into the fairness of current account charges under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations (UTCCRs).

Construction: Environment Protection

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to incentivise the use of environmentally friendly practices by the home construction industry.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are working closely with the house building industry to improve the environmental sustainability of how it operates and what it delivers.
	The changes already made in the Building Regulations mean that the energy efficiency of new houses has improved by 70 per cent. compared to pre-1990 levels. We have also consulted on further strengthening Building Regulations such that all new homes will be required to be zero carbon from 2016.
	In addition the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Stamp Duty exemption that we have announced for new zero carbon homes will encourage the development of highly sustainable housing. We have already consulted on whether to make a rating against the code mandatory from April 2008 and will shortly consult on the detail of how we propose to do this.
	Energy Performance Certificates will also be required on all newly constructed homes from 1 January 2008. The production of the certificates will be built in to the Building Regulations completion process, and will give the new owners or occupiers an understanding of the energy efficiency and environmental impact of their new home.
	Other initiatives such as the Carbon Challenge and Eco-towns proposals will also encourage innovation and challenge the housebuilding industry to deliver overall improvements in sustainability.
	Government are also intending to consult shortly on a new 'Strategy for Sustainable Construction'. The aim of this new initiative will be to set the direction in which government and industry together should be heading to tackle issues affecting the construction sector up to the year 2020 and their ability to respond to the important issue of environmental sustainability.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Alistair Darling: In each of the last three calendar years the Department undertook the following number of flights to and from overseas destinations and the total cost of these flights was:
	
		
			   Flight spend (£)  Number of flights 
			 2006 3,201,001 3,169 
			 2005 3,066,531 3,877 
			 2004 3,528,407 3,851 
		
	
	The above data includes flights taken by both Ministers and officials in the core DTI and two of its agencies (Patent Office and the Competition Commission). The Department and its travel agent do not separately record details of flights taken by Ministers and flights taken by civil servants.

Departments: Smith Institute

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) meetings and  (b) seminars were held by the Smith Institute as part of the Government's Review of Maternity Pay and Leave and Parental Leave; and which (i) individuals attended and (ii) companies were represented at each.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As far as our records show, the Smith Institute held no meetings or seminars on behalf of DTI during the Government's Review of Maternity Leave and Pay and Parental Leave.

Energy: Meters

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research has been undertaken  (a) by and  (b) on behalf of his Department into the use of smart meters in non-residential properties.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 25 June 2007
	Between 2004 and 2006, the Carbon Trust, a Government-funded organisation, conducted field trials of advanced metering with 580 businesses. The results of the trials are available at www.carbontrust.co.uk

Foreign Workers: EC Nationals

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of whether British workers have been displaced from jobs by incoming workers from new EU accession states.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	Research published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last year showed that there is no discernible statistical evidence that migration from the EU accession states has increased claimant unemployment. This is in line with international evidence on the impacts of migration which finds little discernible evidence of adverse effects on wages or employment of native workers.
	The DWP research report can be accessed here:
	http://www.workandpensions.gov.uk/asd/asd5/wp29.pdf

Fuel Poverty

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to publish the fifth annual report on the UK fuel poverty strategy.

Alistair Darling: The Government expect to publish the Fifth Annual Report on the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy in summer 2007.

Iran: Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of UK Export Credit Guarantee Department export credit guarantees to Iran was in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: In the financial year from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007, ECGD supported two export contracts with an aggregate exposure of £4.97 million. To date, no support has been provided for any exports in the financial year beginning 1 April 2007.
	The current level of ECGD exposure to Iran is approximately £290 million.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date the last domestic grant award was made under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The last domestic Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant award was made on 1 March 2007. Since then, it was announced in the Budget 2007 that a further £6 million would be made available to the household stream taking the total available to householders to more than £18 million.
	Taking this into account, we took the opportunity to suspend the scheme so that we could work with stakeholders on re-structuring the household stream to ensure we made best use of the monies available and delivered against the programmes objectives.
	The scheme was re-launched on 29 May 2007 with a number of changes, including the removal of the monthly cap, a pre-requisite for planning approval in the application process and a shorter grant claim period. We hope changes to the programme will allow us to reach a wider audience. We will continue to monitor and report on grant commitments and payments.
	More information on the restructured programme is available on the programme's website:
	http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

Packaging

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) undertaken on the impact of misleading and copycat packaging on (i) shoppers and (ii) UK manufacturers of consumer goods.

Ian McCartney: The Department has not commissioned any research on the impact of misleading and copycat packaging on shoppers and UK manufacturers of consumer goods.

Research: Tax Allowances

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had on the potential to amend his Department's guidelines on the conditions to be satisfied for research and development tax relief to include expenditure on the design process.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions on this subject. The DTIs guidelines on the Meaning of R and D for Tax Purposes, 5 March 2004 already allow for expenditure on the design process to be claimed "when achieving design objectives requires the resolution of scientific or technological uncertainty within a project." The Government consider that the economic case has not yet been made for incentivising design more generally, outside the scope of R and D, even if the practical problems of definition and state aids could be overcome.

TREASURY

Defence: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the current HM Treasury financial delegation to the Ministry of Defence.

Stephen Timms: I have today placed a copy of the current HM Treasury delegations to the Ministry of Defence in the Library, as requested.

Hometrack

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings representatives of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have had with (i) the company Hometrack and (ii) its representatives in the last 24 months;
	(2)  what representations  (a) his Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have received from the company Hometrack in the last 24 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with and receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.

National Insurance: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in each year from 2007-08 to 2011-12 of implementing in full the advice of the Government Actuary's Department on the level of national insurance rebates for contracted out pensions from 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	National insurance rebates are paid from the National Insurance Fund. The effect on national insurance revenues that would arise from implementing in full the Government Actuary's advice for rebates from 6 April 2007 is broadly neutral over the longer term for schemes contracted out on a defined contribution basis. For schemes contracted out on a defined benefit basis, it would mean increasing estimated total expenditure on rebates between 2007-08 to 2011-12 by around 9.4 per cent.

Smith Institute: Publications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 476W, on the Smith Institute: publications, how many publications are held in the Chancellor's private office.

John Healey: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 283W.

Unemployed

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working age workless households with couples without dependent children there were in each year since 1992.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about workless couple households without dependent children. (145881)
	The attached table gives the information requested. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), for the three month period ending in May of each year from 1992 to 2006.
	A household is defined as a single person, or a group of people living at the same address who have the address as their only main residence and either share one main meal a day or share the living accommodation (or both). A workless working-age couple household is one that is headed by a married/cohabiting couple and that includes at least one person of working age and in which no-one aged 16 or over is in employment. Couple households without dependent children may include non-dependent children, and/or members of other family units, whose economic status affects the combined economic status of the household (i.e. whether it is classified as workless or not).
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Workless working-age couple households without dependent children( 1,2,3,4) —United Kingdom, s pring (March- May) 1992 to 2006, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Thousand  Percentage( 5) 
			 1992 738 11.6 
			 1993 813 12.9 
			 1994 794 12.5 
			 1995 811 13.0 
			 1996 770 12.8 
			 1997 791 12.9 
			 1998 111 12.6 
			 1999 764 12.4 
			 2000 771 12.3 
			 2001 736 11.8 
			 2002 727 11.6 
			 2003 697 11.1 
			 2004 700 11.2 
			 2005 716 11.4 
			 2006 691 11.1 
			 (1) A workless couple household is a household that is headed by a married/cohabiting couple and that includes at least one person of working age and in which no-one aged 16 or over is in employment. Couple households without dependent children may include non-dependent children, and/or members of other family units, whose economic status affects the combined economic status of the household (i.e. whether it is classified as workless or not). (2) Working-age includes men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (3) Dependent children are those aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (4) Estimates have been adjusted for households with unknown economic activity status. (5) Workless working-age couple households without dependent children as a percentage of all working-age couple households without dependent children.  Note: As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin or uncertainty.  Source: Labour Force Survey

Valuation Office: Manpower

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1513W, on Valuation Office: manpower, what the reasons are for the change in staff numbers between 2000 and 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: Staff numbers have varied between 2000 and 2007 for operational and efficiency reasons. The VOA staffing policy is to predict, where possible, peaks and troughs of work and to plan for staff numbers accordingly.

JUSTICE

Barristers: Legal Aid Scheme

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice which barristers received the highest sums from the Legal Services Commission in respect of legal aid cases for  (a) civil and  (b) criminal work in each of the last three years; and how much each was paid in each year.

Vera Baird: The information requested for 2004-05 has been published on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website, at the following location:
	http://www.dca.gov.uk/rights/dca/inforeleased/050914.htm.
	The figures relating to the highest paid criminal and civil barristers for 2005-06 has also been published on the Ministry's website, at the following location:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/foi-highpaidbarristers.htm.
	Information regarding which barristers received the highest sums from the Legal Services Commission in respect of legal aid cases for civil and criminal work in 2006-07 will be published once the data have been collated and verified.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many staff in her Department and its predecessor received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The Ministry of Justice employs staff previously employed on several sets of different terms and conditions, each with their own arrangements for bonus payments. The information provided in the following table relates to former DCA Senior Civil Service (SCS) and grades below SCS. It excludes magistrates courts staff who became civil servants within this Department in April 2005 and whose terms and conditions do not normally allow for payment of performance or special bonuses. It also excludes those staff in the Tribunals Service and who joined former DCA on 1 April 2006 for whom information is not currently available.
	Information for Her Majesty's Prison Service (below SCS) is provided.
	
		
			  Senior civil service bonuses received during the past five years for staff on former DCA terms and conditions 
			  Paid in calendar year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (Percentage)  Total amount awarded (£)  Largest award (£) 
			 2003 43 46 170,557 6,500 
			 2004 69 72 268,900 11,200 
			 2005 105 84 537,687 12,690 
			 2006 118 79 821,750 17,500 
			 2007(1) — — — — 
			 (1) No bonuses have yet been paid to members of the SCS during 2007 
		
	
	
		
			  Special bonuses received during the past five years for staff on former DCA terms and conditions (not SCS) 
			  Paid in financial year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (Percentage)  Total amount awarded (£)  Largest award (£) 
			 2002-03 995 7 253,258 — 
			 2003-04 447 3.1 343,347 — 
			 2004-05 1,649 11.6 412,898 5,304 
			 2005-06 1,809 12.8 487,753 5,000 
			  Notes: 1. Data show payments for each financial year from 2002-03. Comprehensive information is not yet available for 2006-07. 2. Data covering largest award are not available prior to 2004 when the current recognition and reward scheme was launched. 3. Proportions refer to the number of staff eligible to be awarded special bonuses under their terms and conditions (i.e. these exclude former Magistrates Courts Service Staff). 
		
	
	
		
			  Performance bonuses awarded during the past five years to staff on former DCA terms and conditions (not SCS) 
			  Paid in calendar year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (Percentage)  Total amount awarded (£)  Largest award (£) 
			 2003 1,131 9.27 502,030 725 
			 2004 1,430 9 572,000 400 
			 2005 1,881 13.3 752,400 400 
			 2006 1,995 14.1 798,000 400 
			 2007 1,848 13.2 739,200 400 
			  Notes: 1. Data referring to Proportion of staff receiving bonuses refer only to staff on relevant terms and conditions (i.e. only include former DCA and Court Service Staff but exclude staff on Magistrates Courts terms and conditions). 2. Prior to 2003 performance bonuses in former LCD were linked to grade—from 2004 a flat rate was applied. 
		
	
	HM Prison Service became an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007.
	Information on the number and proportion of staff receiving special bonuses, the total amount of bonuses awarded and the largest payment in each year within the public sector Prison Service is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Public sector prison service special bonuses recorded 2003-04 to June 2007 
			  Paid in financial year  Staff receiving bonuses  Proportion receiving bonuses (Percentage)  Total amount awarded (£)  Largest award (£) 
			 2002-03 1,268 3 463,449 4,000 
			 2003-04 1,983 4 740,443 4,000 
			 2004-05 3,375 7 868,594 5,000 
			 2005-06 3,004 6 983,273 15,802 
			 2006-07 2,432 5 873,141 5,000 
			 April-June 07 518 1 250,453 20,000 
		
	
	Details of staff who joined the Ministry of Justice from the Home Office are currently being collated. Therefore it has not been possible to identify Ministry of Justice staff on former Home Office terms (including from the National Offender Management Service) who received bonuses under their previous schemes within the available timescales.

Domestic Violence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what funds are available to assist the victims of domestic violence in escaping from abusive situations.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Domestic violence is a cross-Government priority led by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Domestic Violence. The group comprises Ministers from nine Government Departments and the three devolved Administrations.
	The budgets outlined as follows contribute towards the delivery of the National Delivery Plan for Domestic Violence which focuses on a range of key work objectives from early intervention and prevention through to developing a coordinated community response to tackling domestic violence.
	Communities and Local Government provide a part of the funding that assists victims of domestic violence to escape abusive situations,
	For 2003-06 a total of £32.1 million capital was invested in refuge provision in England (£15.7 million through the Housing Corporation and £16.4 million from the Homelessness Strategy and Support Directorate in Communities and Local Government). 511 units of accommodation were refurbished or newly built.
	In 2005-06, £59 million of Supporting People funding was used to provide housing related support to women at risk of domestic violence.
	We continued to fund UKRefugesonline (£100,000 2007-08), a UK wide database of domestic violence services delivered in partnership by Women's Aid and Refuge which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline.
	In addition my Department has allocated £47.2 million to local authorities to help them tackle and prevent homelessness in their area for 2007-08. They may choose to use a proportion of this money to fund Sanctuary Schemes.
	Government provide other funding to help support victims of domestic violence. In 2006-07 the Home Office allocated £6 million to tackle domestic violence:
	£3 million to support and improve local delivery on domestic violence for victims of domestic violence and their children
	£1 million to expand the Specialist Domestic Violence Court Programme
	£1 million for Independent Domestic Violence Advisors
	£1 million to continue to fund national domestic violence services, for example the matrix of help lines.
	In 2007-08 Ministry of Justice/Her Majesty's Court Service provided a further £3 million for the expansion of the network of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers that support the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to change the planning laws so that Network Rail has the same requirements to seek planning permission from local communities when erecting GSM-R communication masts as commercial mobile telephone operators.

Yvette Cooper: There are no current plans to change the permitted development rights for railway undertakers to erect communication masts.

Affordable Homes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest estimate is of the average sale price of an affordable home produced in each of the areas participating in the design for manufacture competition.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes North-East (Mr. Lancaster) on 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1890W.
	In this answer I set out precise details for one of the sites in the competition that is one of the first to reach the stage of having completed homes available. On this site, Renny Lodge, we expect people will be able to purchase a 30 per cent. equity stake in a two bedroom home available under Homebuy shared ownership arrangements for between £42,000 and £46,800. The homes available through the First Time Buyers Initiative will typically be available at equity stakes from 50 per cent. starting at around £71,500 for a one bedroom flat.
	The other nine sites are at different stages of construction and are spread around the country. The prices of the units for sale will reflect the land value, the local market at the time they go on sale and the equity share as well as the construction cost. However, all sites will include a proportion of affordable housing. This includes social rent and different kinds of shared ownership. We expect that an equity stake in a home, through either shared equity or shared ownership arrangements, will be available on every site other than the one in Hastings for a cost of £60,000 to £70,000. On the Hastings site all of the 15 units will be for affordable rent.

Arm's Length Management Organisations: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the funding arrangements will be for arm's length management organisations after the Decent Homes Standard period has passed in 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Arm's length management organisations (ALMOs) secure their funding through a management fee from the local authority. The resources available to the local authority flow from the HRA subsidy system, its capital receipts and any prudential borrowing it takes on. This funding arrangement will remain after the Decent Homes programme is complete.

Association of Home Information Providers: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Government have provided to the Association of Home Information Providers.

Yvette Cooper: The Department has not provided any funding to the Association of Home Information Pack Providers and has no plans to do so.

Community Relations: Bingo

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess  (a) the contribution of bingo clubs to community cohesion and  (b) the impact on communities of the closure of bingo clubs.

Phil Woolas: The Government have no plans to assess the contribution of bingo clubs to community cohesion or the impact on communities of the closure of bingo clubs.
	However, we recognise the important role that bingo halls play in communities around the country. As a Government we are keen to continue to support an industry which provides so much enjoyment to millions of players each week, and which is an important source of employment.
	It should also be noted that the Gambling Act 2005 already introduces a range of measures designed to support the bingo industry and other sectors of the gambling industry and I know that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is keen to continue to work closely with the industry to see what more can be done to help bingo.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 315W, on the Valuation Office, 
	(1)  how many properties in each local authority billing area in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency as having the property attribute of  (a) one bathroom and  (b) two or more bathrooms;
	(2)  how many domestic dwellings in England are recorded by the Agency as having the property attribute of  (a) one parking space,  (b) two parking spaces,  (c) three parking spaces and  (d) four or more parking spaces;
	(3)  how many domestic dwellings in England are recorded by the Agency as having the property attribute of  (a) one bedroom,  (b) two bedrooms,  (c) three bedrooms and  (d) four or more bedrooms.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1596-97W.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model  (a) uses and  (b) holds data from the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Phil Woolas: No.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individual domestic dwellings  (a) have had their property records updated or amended by the Valuation Office Agency using information from Rightmove since the contract was signed and  (b) had their records so updated or amended in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: This information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Councillors: Data Protection

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has produced on the requirements councillors have to register under the Data Protection Act 1998 when acting in their capacity as a representative of the residents of their ward.

Angela Smith: The Department has issued no guidance of the sort described. The Information Commissioner has issued a guidance note aimed at elected and prospective members of local authorities, about how the Act applies to them.
	The note is available on the Commissioner's website at:
	http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/practical_application/advice_elected_and_prospective_members_local_authorities.pdf.pdf

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff surveys her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Angela Smith: During the last 12 months, the Department has completed the first of four quarterly staff surveys at a total cost, to date, of £42,770.

Energy: Conservation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government's target is for the number of  (a) homes with an excellent building regulations energy efficiency rating and  (b) zero-carbon homes to be built in each year in England.

Angela Smith: Building Regulations set minimum standards for energy efficiency. Changes we have already made to Building Regulations mean that the energy efficiency of new houses has improved by 70 per cent. compared to pre-1990 levels. We have also consulted on proposals to further strengthen Building Regulations over the next decade such that all new homes will be required to be zero carbon in terms of their net emissions over the course of a year from 2016.
	Homes built with Government funding are taking the lead here. All new Government funding for homes built by registered landlords and other developers, for example through the Housing Corporation, will now make it a condition that they achieve a 3-star rating in the Code for Sustainable Homes—25 per cent. better than current Building Regulations.
	We expect that changes to the Building Regulations, the Code for Sustainable Homes, the carbon challenge and the stamp duty relief for new zero carbon homes will all encourage the development of highly energy efficient and zero carbon homes. We do not have targets of the type referred to but we will be monitoring progress carefully.

Equal Opportunities

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to be in a position to introduce a Single Equalities Bill.

Phil Woolas: The Government have given a commitment to introduce a Single Equality Act during the lifetime of this Parliament. Proposals for a Single Equality Bill will be published for public consultation, shortly. The Discrimination Law Review was published on the 12 June 2007.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she was first notified by the European Commission of the prospect of European Regional Development Fund payments being suspended; on what grounds the payments are being suspended; what form this notification took; what action she has taken in response; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 Officials from the European Commission informed us orally and wrote to the United Kingdom in November 2006 indicating an intention to advise the Commission to hold back the reimbursement of expenditure by the Government on the ERDF 2000-06 programmes in England. In particular, the European Commission wanted us to carry out more physical on-site checking of projects to ensure compliance with particular EU budget criteria. Formal notification was received on 11 April 2007. Action to increase the level of on-site checks began June last year in addition to strengthened management of the processes involved. A robust action plan has been in place for some time and we have made significant progress which has meant that four of the nine regions were not included in the Commission's formal decision. Further work is under way with the Commission to meet their requirements.

Fire Prevention: Tourism

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to fire authorities on the need for fire risk assessments in  (a) single unit and  (b) multiple unit self-catering properties for tourists.

Angela Smith: The Department has issued 11 guides dealing with a range of different types of premises. The guides are intended to assist both fire and rescue authorities and the person responsible in the interpretation and application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Guide No. 3 deals with sleeping accommodation and includes advice on the need for fire safety risk assessments for both single and multiple unit properties. The guides are freely available on the Department's website:
	www.communities.gov.uk.

Fire Prevention: Tourism

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what actions her Department has taken to ensure the consistent interpretation and enforcement by fire authorities of fire risk assessments undertaken in respect of self-catering tourist providers; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department has issued 11 guides dealing with a range of different types of premises. The guides are intended to assist both fire and rescue authorities and the person responsible for a premises to establish what fire precautions may be necessary for a particular case. Guide No 3 deals with sleeping accommodation and includes advice on fire safety risk assessment for self-catering tourist accommodation. The guides are freely available on the Department's website at www.communities.gov.uk.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1529W, on home information packs, when the copy of the concession agreement will be placed in the Library.

Yvette Cooper: A copy of the concession agreement has been placed in the Library of the House.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings her Department's special advisers had with the Association of Home Information Providers in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Advisers met with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers once on 22 August 2006.

Home Information Packs: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is being allocated to local authority trading standards officers to enforce the home information pack regulations.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have allocated significant additional resources through the local government settlement for local authority trading standards officers to meet the statutory duty to enforce home information packs.

Home Information Packs: Vetting

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated time period is for an energy inspector  (a) to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check and  (b) to be accredited.

Yvette Cooper: A fully completed application for a criminal records check for a domestic energy assessor is currently being processed within seven to 10 working days by Disclosure Scotland.
	It is the trained assessor's responsibility to ensure that all required documentation is provided to the accreditation scheme they have applied to. Due to this, the process varies in duration. Required documentation includes: certificate of qualification from awarding body, completed criminal records check, and proof of suitable operating insurance.

Hometrack

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) representations her Department has received from and  (b) meetings her Department has held with Hometrack in the last 24 months.

Yvette Cooper: We have regular discussions with all key stakeholders about home information pack development and implementation including Hometrack. Officials have received consultation representations from Hometrack. Officials also met with Hometrack in June 2005, July and September 2006.

Hometrack

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments her Department and its predecessor have made to the company Hometrack since 2002.

Yvette Cooper: Since 2002, neither Communities and Local Government nor its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, has made any payments to Hometrack.

Hounslow Borough Council: Members

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations Ministers in her Department have made to the London borough of Hounslow on its relationships with its local Members of Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 May 2007
	 No representations by Ministers from this Department have so far been made to the London borough of Hounslow about its relationship with local Members of Parliament.

Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of domestic dwellings in England have four or more bedrooms.

Yvette Cooper: The most reliable estimates are in terms of numbers of households not dwellings. In 2005-06, an estimated 18 per cent. of the 21 million households in England lived in dwellings with four or more bedrooms.
	 Source: Survey of English Housing.

Housing: Construction

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the Government's target is for the number of new domestic dwellings to be built in each year in England;
	(2)  what the Government's target is for the number of new homes to be built in each year under its Sustainable Communities programme.

Yvette Cooper: The Sustainable Communities Plan, launched in 2003, set out plans to increase housing delivery across London and the wider south east in the period to 2016 to 1.1 million in total, from previous plans for 900,000. In 2005, the Government set a target for 200,000 new homes a year by 2016.

Housing: Construction

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built in each year under the Sustainable Communities Plan since its inception.

Yvette Cooper: Since the Sustainable Communities Plan was announced in 2003, net additions to the housing stock in England have been as follows:
	
		
			   Net additions 
			 2003-04 154,800 
			 2004-05 167,900 
			 2005-06 185,200

Housing: Construction

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic dwellings were completed in England in each year since 1996-97.

Yvette Cooper: The number of new domestic dwellings completed in England in each year since 1996-97 has been tabulated as follows.
	
		
			  House building: permanent dwellings completed, England 
			  Financial year  Houses 
			 1996-97 146,246 
			 1997-98 149,555 
			 1998-99 140,708 
			 1999-2000 142,046 
			 2000-01 133,255 
			 2001-02 129,866 
			 2002-03 137,739 
			 2003-04 143,958 
			 2004-05 155,893 
			 2005-06 163,398 
			 2006-07 167,691 
			  Sources: P2m returns from local authorities, returns from National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) 
		
	
	The number of domestic dwellings completed in England is also shown on the Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/53/Table232_id1156053.xls.

Housing: Empty Property

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local councils have brought into use empty private sector properties under the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities have a range of powers to bring empty properties back into use. The provision in the Housing Act for Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) is just one of a range of measures and in many areas is used to encourage landlords to take action on a voluntary basis. Since the commencement of the Housing Act 2004 in April 2007, three interim EDMOs have received authorisation (Norwich, Peterborough and South Oxfordshire).

Housing: Empty Property

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to regularise the definition of empty homes for the purposes of comparative council performance in respect of the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: We have no plans to make any changes to the Housing Act 2004 in respect of the Empty Dwelling Management Orders provisions.

Housing: Females

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued on the priority to be given to the provision of appropriate housing for  (a) women and  (b) women with children who have (i) suffered domestic violence and (ii) who have been trafficked.

Yvette Cooper: Local housing authorities must allocate housing accommodation in accordance with part 6 of the Housing Act 1996. Among other things, this requires authorities to publish a scheme for determining their priorities, and defining the procedures to be followed, in allocating housing. The scheme must be framed so that reasonable preference for an allocation is given to certain groups of applicant, but it is for individual authorities to decide on the priorities to be given to people within these groups. The reasonable preference groups are based on housing need and include people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds (including grounds relating to a disability) and people owed a homelessness duty. The scheme may also be framed so that additional preference is given to people within the reasonable preference categories who have urgent housing need. The Department has issued statutory guidance to local housing authorities on how they should discharge their functions under part 6. This gives examples of people with urgent housing needs to whom housing authorities should consider giving additional preference including those owed a homelessness duty as a result of domestic violence.
	Under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the 1996 Act), local housing authorities must secure that suitable accommodation is available for housing applicants who are eligible for assistance, homeless through no fault of their own and who fall within a priority need group. Accommodation must be secured until a settled home becomes available. The priority need groups include people whose household includes a dependant child or a pregnant woman and, in 2002, the Government extended the priority need groups to include, among others, people who are vulnerable as a result of leaving their home because of violence or threats of violence likely to be carried out. Jointly with the Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Health, the Secretary of State has issued statutory guidance to local authorities which they must have regard to when exercising their homelessness functions. The guidance reminds authorities that, under the legislation, a person is homeless if it is not reasonable for them to continue to live in their home and it would not be reasonable for someone to continue to live in their home if that was likely to lead to violence against them or against a member of their family. The guidance also encourages authorities to offer people who have experienced domestic violence a range of accommodation and support options, including the option of remaining in their home with additional security measures provided under a sanctuary scheme.
	The Government have signed and ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. It has also recently signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. This will build on our strategy to combat human trafficking by providing minimum standards of protection and victim support, whilst also providing a framework for enhanced provision.
	Details on how implementation will be taken forward are currently being developed. These will involve close co-operation with non-governmental organisations, law enforcement agencies and other Government Departments. Progress will be monitored by the Inter-Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking of which Communities and Local Government's Deputy Minister for Women and Equality is a member.
	The London-based POPPY Project, run through "Eaves Housing for Women", was launched in 2003 and provides a highly regarded combination of safe accommodation and support for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, which meets Council of Europe Convention requirements. Additionally, as a result of Operation Pentameter there are now a number of independently funded organisations (Salvation Army, CHASTE, the Medaille Trust), who also provide accommodation.
	The Government are currently considering a pilot scheme to test the level and type of support required for victims of forced labour trafficking.
	The UK Human Trafficking Centre was launched on 3 October 2006, the first of its kind in Europe. This is becoming a centre of excellence for dealing with human trafficking and will promote the expansion of victim support services. The Government also published the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking on 23 March. This aims to strike the right balance between protection and assistance for all victims of trafficking, and prevention and enforcement activity to crack down on criminals.
	Through its recently published Gender Equality Scheme, the Department has also initiated a number of actions aimed at supporting those women who are victims of domestic violence or who have been trafficked. These include co-ordinating and joining up Government actions on violence against women, and monitoring the impact of changes in local government funding on locally delivered support for vulnerable women. Communities England will also ensure that gender issues are taken into account in exercising functions delivering local strategies for regeneration, housing growth and affordable housing.

Housing: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding the Government provided to each local authority in England for (i) housing and (ii) regeneration purposes in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Capital funding for local authority housing is provided through the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy system in the form of supported capital expenditure (SCE) and the major repairs allowance (MRA). SCE is the level of borrowing for capital purposes that is supported by the Government through the HRA subsidy. This value is based on the Regional Housing Boards' allocations. MRA represents the estimated long-term average amount of capital spending required to maintain a local authority's housing stock in current condition. The capital funding includes an element for regeneration but that is combined with the decent homes programme in the private sector. There is also an element of non-HRA funding for local authorities.
	Revenue funding for local authority housing is provided in the form of HRA Subsidy and Formula Grant. HRA subsidy refers to the entitlement local authorities receive from Government to support their housing programs. 2005-06 is the latest year for which audited figure are available. Housing is one of the services supported by formula grant. Formula grant, which comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula Police Grant, where appropriate, is an unhypothecated block grant, i.e. authorities are free to spend the money on any service. For this reason, and because of the method of calculation, particularly floor damping, it is not possible to say how much grant has been provided for a particular service. Tables displaying the 2005-06 HRA subsidy and 2005-06 capital funding for each local authority have been placed in the Library of the House.
	For regeneration purposes, there is no local authority wise breakdown available. The information is compiled on a program-specific basis. Departmental funding for regeneration projects in 2005-06 is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Regeneration programmes: departmental funding spent on regeneration projects in 2005-06 
			  £ million 
			  Programme  Revenue  Capital 
			 Coalfields funding (Enterprise Fund and Regeneration Trust) 10.715 8.500 
			 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 6.651 — 
			 Design Awards 0.052 — 
			 English Partnerships (including Commission for the New Towns)(1) -51.014 539.195 
			 European Regional Development Fund 51.242 175.527 
			 Groundwork & National Urban Forestry Unit 3.698 10.352 
			 Housing Market Renewal Fund 0.911 302.542 
			 Lea Valley Regional Park — 0.458 
			 Mersey Basin 0.520 — 
			 New Deal for Communities 168.260 100.333 
			 New Ventures Fund 76.558 1.031 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 525.000 — 
			 Other Growth Areas 8.013 70.793 
			 Regional Development Agencies (including London Development Agency) 545.632 941.082 
			 Special Grants Programme 2.783 — 
			 Thames Gateway 12.880 149.005 
			 Green Flags 0.356 — 
			 Liveability Performance 1.394 0.523 
			 Academy for Sustainable Communities (formerly Urban Design Skills) 2.282 — 
			 (1) Negative spend against English Partnerships is due to profit on sale of land exceeding revenue spend.

Housing: Greater London

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of housing in each London local authority was  (a) units of social rented housing,  (b) private rented housing and  (c) owner occupier housing in (i) 1986, (ii) 1996 and (iii) 2006.

Yvette Cooper: Information reported by local authorities on the proportions of all dwellings that are 'social for rent', private (owner occupied and rented) and other public sector (e.g. school caretakers' houses) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportions of dwellings by social, private or "other public" in London by borough, 1986, 1996 and 2006 
			  Percentage 
			   1986  1996  2006 
			   Social  Private  Other  p ub lic s ector  Social  Private  Other public s ector  Social  Private  Other public s ector 
			 Barking and Dagenham 55 45 1 42 58 0 33 67 0 
			 Barnet 17 80 3 14 84 1 13 86 0 
			 Bexley 16 80 4 13 87 0 13 87 0 
			 Brent 30 70 0 24 74 2 22 76 2 
			 Bromley 17 83 0 14 86 0 13 87 0 
			 Camden 47 53 0 40 59 1 36 64 0 
			 City of London 48 51 2 19 70 11 13 85 3 
			 Croydon 18 82 0 17 83 0 17 83 0 
			 Ealing 23 77 0 19 80 0 19 81 0 
			 Enfield 20 79 1 16 83 0 16 84 0 
			 Greenwich 46 53 2 41 57 2 35 64 1 
			 Hackney 70 29 0 60 40 0 48 52 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 60 0 35 65 0 32 67 1 
			 Haringey 36 64 0 30 70 0 28 72 0 
			 Harrow 12 87 1 10 89 0 10 89 0 
			 Havering 20 80 0 16 84 0 14 86 0 
			 Hillingdon 20 77 3 17 80 3 16 83 1 
			 Hounslow 29 70 1 25 74 1 21 79 0 
			 Islington 65 33 2 59 40 1 45 55 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 26 73 0 24 76 0 23 77 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 14 85 1 12 87 1 11 89 0 
			 Lambeth 52 46 2 48 52 0 40 60 0 
			 Lewisham 49 51 0 40 60 0 32 68 1 
			 Merton 20 79 1 16 84 0 14 86 0 
			 Newham 42 58 0 39 61 0 30 70 0 
			 Redbridge 14 85 1 10 89 0 10 90 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 16 83 0 13 87 0 12 88 0 
			 Southwark 73 26 1 59 40 0 47 53 0 
			 Sutton 20 79 1 17 83 0 14 86 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 86 13 1 61 37 2 41 58 0 
			 Waltham Forest 26 73 1 21 76 3 22 78 0 
			 Wandsworth 41 59 0 25 75 0 21 78 0 
			 Westminster 32 68 1 25 74 1 23 77 0 
			  Source: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix from Local Authorities and Regulatory Statistical Return from Registered Social Landlords

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding was allocated to build affordable housing in financial years  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; how much she plans to allocate in 2007-08; and how many affordable homes (i) were built in financial years 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) she estimates will be built in financial year 2007-08;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the cost of building 50,000 social homes in the years 2006-07 and 2007-08; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the number of social homes that will be completed in 2006-07.

Yvette Cooper: Expenditure through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) in 2005-06 totalled £1.6 billion and for the two years 2006 to 2008 we allocated a further £3.9 billion, of which the Housing Corporation spent £1.9 billion in 2006-07.
	In 2005-06 over 45,400 affordable homes were provided, with 36,386 of these being provided through Housing Corporation's AHP. Provisional figures for 2006-07 indicate that over 44,000 affordable homes were provided, of which around 38,000 were through Housing Corporation's AHP. A further 56,000 affordable homes are planned for 2007-08, of which over 47,000 will be provided though the Housing Corporation's funding.
	Provisional figures for 2006-07 show that over 25,000 social rented homes were provided of which 22,000 were through the Housing Corporation's AHP.
	We have made no estimates for the cost of building 50,000 social rented homes in 2006-07 and 2007-08. We set the Housing Corporation targets to provide 21,000 social rented homes in 2006-07 and 28,000 in 2007-08. The latter homes will contribute towards our target of providing 30,000 social rented homes in 2007-08.
	Of the Housing Corporation budget of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 it is estimated that £2.8 billion will be spent on providing social rented homes. Future investment will be subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 on which we have already stated that we intend to make the provision of social rented homes a priority.

Housing: Low Incomes

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Work and Pensions on the Hills report; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Professor John Hills' Review "End and Means: The future roles of social housing in England" raised concerns about high levels of worklessness among households living in social housing.
	Ministers and officials from Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions have held a number of discussions on this issue. We are working closely together to explore ways in which we can address worklessness and how social housing can act as a platform for social and economic mobility.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath of 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1731W, on housing: valuation, whether  (a) greenhouses and  (b) sheds are classified as outbuildings for the purposes of dwellinghouse code 14.

Phil Woolas: No.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a permanent greenhouse is considered by the Valuation Office Agency when establishing the capital value of a domestic dwelling during a valuation.

Phil Woolas: It depends how much it is worth.

Housing: Wycombe

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty properties designated for key workers were recorded in Wycombe constituency in each of the most recent three years for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 June 2007
	 The Government offer housing assistance to key workers under the Key Worker Living (KWL) scheme in areas experiencing severe recruitment and retention difficulties. Key Worker Living funding is divided between Open Market HomeBuy (equity loans to purchase properties on the open market) and new build products such as New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership of newly built homes) and intermediate rent (newly built homes where the rent is set at a level between that charged by social and private landlords).
	Since April 2006 we no longer fund specific key worker only new build schemes. Instead key workers access our New Build HomeBuy and intermediate rent programmes as a priority group alongside other priorities such as social tenants. Any key worker specific schemes yet to complete will have been funded under old shared ownership programmes.
	Since the launch of Key Worker Living, the Housing Corporation has been collecting data on when the construction of a scheme has been completed and when the final unit has been occupied. The purpose of these data is to actively manage the portfolio of new build properties and take action to prevent long term empty units—and as such allows us to give a breakdown of the current position on empty properties only. As at the end of May 2007 there are no empty Key Worker Living properties designated for key workers only in the Wycombe constituency.

iGather

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department and its agencies have provided for the iGather project; and what plans there are to roll it out across England.

Ruth Kelly: The iGather project was awarded funding of £300,000 in March 2005. The project has developed a prototype to enable ready access to environmental, employment, housing and other data stored electronically to assist planners to carry out sustainability appraisals effectively and efficiently.
	The purpose of a sustainability appraisal, mandatory under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, is to promote sustainable development through the integration of social, environmental and economic considerations into the preparation of revisions of regional spatial strategies and for new or revised development plan documents and supplementary planning documents.
	Further work is being carried out, which will enable the prototype to be fully operational for the South West region by the end of 2007. No decision has yet been made on its further roll out.

Immigration: EC Enlargement

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the likely impact on the number of houses in multiple occupation in  (a) Peterborough and  (b) local authorities in the eastern region of the migration of new EU member state citizens to these areas since 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Department recognises the impact of EU migration and, in partnership with the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), is currently developing a toolkit of good practice guidance for local authorities on issues such as overcrowding in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
	The number of HMOs in local authority areas has been collected by the Department through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) since 2001. The following table indicates the number of HMOs in Peterborough since 2004.
	
		
			  Housing strategy statistical data 
			   Number of HMOs in the City of Peterborough 
			 2003-04 800 
			 2004-05 1,000 
			 2005-06 1,000 
		
	
	The following table indicates the number of HMOs in all local authorities in the eastern region since 2004.
	
		
			  Housing strategy statistical data 
			  Local authority area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Babergh 30 30 30 
			 Basildon 25 40 38 
			 Bedford 450 450 450 
			 Braintree 53 50 50 
			 Breckland 316 468 506 
			 Brentwood 70 50 50 
			 Broadland 400 100 88 
			 Broxbourne 35 63 75 
			 Cambridge 3,717 3,717 3,717 
			 Castle Point (1)— 8 290 
			 Chelmsford 358 82 91 
			 Colchester 438 164 191 
			 Dacorum 46 36 40 
			 East Cambridgeshire 40 40 40 
			 East Hertfordshire 92 97 96 
			 Epping Forest 4,400 130 250 
			 Fenland 163 300 300 
			 Forest Heath 100 59 150 
			 Great Yarmouth 550 550 550 
			 Harlow 74 79 132 
			 Hertsmere 76 76 76 
			 Huntingdonshire 52 52 52 
			 Ipswich 687 953 958 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 216 300 315 
			 Luton 812 884 821 
			 Maldon 11 20 7 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 23 14 8 
			 Mid Suffolk 55 42 53 
			 North Hertfordshire 61 60 60 
			 North Norfolk 373 373 57 
			 Norwich 1,500 1500 1900 
			 Peterborough 800 1000 1000 
			 Rochford 40 40 12 
			 South Bedfordshire 164 (1)— (1)— 
			 South Cambridgeshire 473 284 284 
			 South Norfolk 78 29 589 
			 Southend-on-Sea 158 159 150 
			 St. Albans 326 305 333 
			 St. Edmundsbury 76 78 86 
			 Stevenage 320 320 86 
			 Suffolk Coastal 414 321 339 
			 Tendring 242 233 227 
			 Three Rivers 48 56 17 
			 Thurrock 163 256 179 
			 Uttlesford 25 0 50 
			 Watford 217 216 216 
			 Waveney 30 25 40 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 1,400 1,400 1,400 
			 (1) No return. 
		
	
	The Department does not currently hold data for 2006-07.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Termination of Employment

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she will have the power to remove planning commissioners on the proposed infrastructure planning commission from their post before the end of their term of office for reasons other than misconduct.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraphs 5.56 to 5.61 of the White Paper, Planning for a Sustainable Future (cm 7120), set out the Government's proposals as to the personnel of the infrastructure planning commission. It is intended that members of the commission will have fixed tenure for periods of between five and eight years. The Secretary of State will have the power to remove a person from office as a member of the commission if she is satisfied that the person is unable, unwilling or unfit to perform the duties of the office. We do not propose that members could be removed because of the decisions they took.

Local Authorities: Disabled

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have appointed a disability access officer.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 25 June 2007
	 Appointment of disability access officers is a decision for each local authority. Research to provide this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Local Authorities: Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority owned homes were sold to  (a) registered social landlords and  (b) private landlords in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table gives details of London boroughs who have sold their housing stock to the registered social landlord sector through large-scale voluntary transfer in the last 10 years. We could provide figures for small-scale voluntary only at disproportionate cost. We do not have any data on trickle transfers to registered social landlords; nor do we have data on how many local authority homes have been sold to private landlords.
	
		
			  Dwellings transferred from local authorities to the registered social landlord sector in London 1997-2007 
			  LA name  Dwellings 
			 Total 1997 0 
			   
			 LB Lambeth 1,196 
			 LB Bexley 8,215 
			 LB Merton 1,018 
			 LB Tower Hamlets 4,283 
			 LB Hackney 951 
			 LB Brent 1,481 
			 Total 1998 17,144 
			   
			 LB Hackney 2,745 
			 LB Hammersmith and Fulham 668 
			 LB Enfield 1,194 
			 LB Greenwich 1,280 
			 LB Lambeth 4,777 
			 LB Islington 1,386 
			 Total 1999 12,050 
			   
			 LB Hackney 2,336 
			 LB Tower Hamlets 1,551 
			 LB Richmond 7,139 
			 Total 2000 11,026 
			   
			 LB Tower Hamlets 1,859 
			 Total 2001 1,859 
			   
			 LB Waltham Forest 2,242 
			 LB Hackney 954 
			 LB Harrow 518 
			 Total 2002 3,714 
			   
			 LB Tower Hamlets 78 
			 Total 2004 78 
			   
			 LB Islington 615 
			 LB Lambeth 630 
			 LB Tower Hamlets 3,111 
			 Total 2005 4,356 
			   
			 LB Tower Hamlets 2,920 
			 LB Lambeth 1,412 
			 Total 2006 4,332 
			   
			 LB Lambeth 1,031 
			 LB Sutton 524 
			 LB Islington 502 
			 LB Tower Hamlets 51 
			 Total 2007 (to date) 2,108

Local Authorities: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations have a function of inspecting local authorities.

Phil Woolas: The Government set out proposals for a new performance management framework for local areas in the White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" (Cm 6939) in October 2006. This will be introduced from 2009.
	The Audit Commission (which from April 2008 will be merged with the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate) will continue to have powers to inspect local authorities under Best Value, with any inspection in future being triggered primarily by risk assessment. The Audit Commission will also manage the overall programme of inspection and external assessment of local authorities to reduce duplication and ensure inspection and assessment is better co-ordinated and proportionate to risk.
	Other regulators and inspectorates with responsibilities for inspection of some local authority services include the new Ofsted, the Adult Social Care Inspectorate which will bring together Commission for Social Care Inspection and Healthcare Commission functions, and the existing five criminal justice inspectorates.

Local Authorities: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on  (a) the timetable and  (b) progress achieved on reducing the number of central Government targets for local authorities to 200.

Phil Woolas: As we set out in the Local Government White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities", we are developing a single set of national priority outcomes for local government working on its own or in partnership, measured by a single set of around 200 national indicators which will underpin the new performance framework. These outcomes and indicators will reflect decisions taken in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) which is currently under way and details will be published as part of the CSR announcement in the autumn. Implementation will take place from April 2008.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will reconsider the inclusion of clause 39 in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill following the combined 2007 Scottish Parliamentary and Scottish local elections; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Clause 60 (previously clause 39, prior to Report stage in the House of Commons) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill provides for the Secretary of State, by order, to move the date of the local government elections in a year so that these coincide with the European parliamentary general election in that year. Any such order must be approved by both Houses of Parliament, following consultation with the Electoral Commission and other appropriate persons. This process will ensure that, in any year, the merits of holding the elections on the same day will be fully considered.

Local Government: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) special grants and  (b) specific grants were paid to local authorities in England in 2006-07.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the reports and related tables for the Local Government Finance Settlement 2006-07. Copies of the reports, tables and other supporting material were made available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House on 31 January 2006. Key Table 2 set out the specific and special grants to be paid in that year. Information covering all grants paid to local authorities in that year will be available from the local authority outturn return. There were no grants paid in 2006-07 using the special grant making powers under section 88B of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (substituted by paragraph 18 of schedule 10 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992).

Local Government: Pay

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the pay ranges are for senior local government officials and chief executives.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information. Information on chief executives' and chief officers' pay can be obtained from the Local Government Employers' website
	http://www.lge.gov.uk.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take into account local polls of public opinion on local government reorganisation when selecting the unitary bids she will be taking forward; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Local polls of public opinion are one of many relevant matters to which we will have regard when assessing unitary proposals against our five criteria set out in the invitation document published on 26 October 2006.

Local Government: Somerset

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to take into account the result of expressions of public opinion on local government reform in Somerset; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Expressions of public opinion are one of many relevant matters to which we will have regard when assessing unitary proposals against our five criteria set out in the invitation document published on 26 October 2006.

Non-Domestic Rates

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in the Valuation Office Agency undertake work in relation to assessment casework for business rates valuations.

Phil Woolas: It is the policy of the Department not to comment on staffing matters.

Owner Occupation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the causes of the recent trends in the level of home ownership.

Yvette Cooper: Low mortgage rates and economic stability have increased the number of home owners by over one million since 1997. However, rising house prices have created pressure for first-time buyers. Kate Barker's review of housing supply showed that the industry had not been building enough homes to meet demand for over a generation.
	The annual rate of new housing supply has increased by 40 per cent. since 2001 but we plan to go further in order to address the long-term problems of worsening affordability and help more people realise their aspirations to own their own home.

Owner Occupation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of home ownership was in England in each year since 1996-97.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates of the level of home ownership in England from 1996 to 2006 are shown below. This is based on a sample survey and so results can fluctuate from one year to the next.
	
		
			  Number of homeowners in England 
			   Number ( T housand) 
			 1996 13,521 
			 1997 13,587 
			 1998 13,783 
			 1999 14,021 
			 2000 14,267 
			 2001 14,284 
			 2002 14,454 
			 2003 14,574 
			 2004 14,576 
			 2005 14,646 
			 2006 14,621 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey

Peterborough City Council: Grants

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if officials from her Department will meet Peterborough city council in the near future to discuss grant funding; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: We have been reviewing, with local government, a number of the formulae used to distribute grant to local authorities and will be undertaking a full consultation exercise over the summer, when all local authorities will have full opportunity to respond to our proposals.

Planning Inspectorate: Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Planning Inspectorate spent on consultants (excluding the cost of consultant inspectors) in each of the last four years; and what such consultants were tasked to work on.

Yvette Cooper: The Planning Inspectorate's spend on external advice and contracts over the last four financial years has been:
	
		
			   Total (£) 
			 2003-04 2,778,726 
			 2004-05 2,824,952 
			 2005-06 3,380,614 
			 2006-07 1,604,379 
		
	
	This included:
	Planning Portal Development
	Planning Casework System Development
	Human Resources and Training Development
	Major Inspector Recruitment Advice
	Agency Restructuring Advice
	Baseline Study of Inspector Working
	Electronic Business Modelling
	Householder Development Consent Review

Planning Inspectorate: Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures the Planning Inspectorate has in place to achieve value for money in the procurement of external consultants undertaken by the agency's procurement unit.

Yvette Cooper: The Planning Inspectorate has a dedicated procurement unit and all consultancy contracts are handled within that unit. In the drive to deliver value for money close attention is paid to standard best practice procurement procedures, from clear specification through to effective contract management. Extensive use is also made of the framework contracts managed by the Office of Government Commerce to deliver both price and process savings.

Planning Policy Statement 3: Regulatory Impact Assessments

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the regulatory impact assessment for Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) was published after PPS3 came into effect.

Yvette Cooper: The Department produced a partial regulatory impact assessment as part of the consultation paper on a new Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) "Housing", which we published in December 2005.
	Subsequently, we considered those consultation responses made in respect to the partial assessment to inform the final regulatory impact assessment. This analysis is set out in the 'Consultation on Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3)—A summary of responses and key issues', which we published alongside final PPS3 in November 2006.
	While a regulatory impact assessment had been produced at the time of launching PPS3, unfortunately, this was not published until May 2007.

Planning: Reform

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her timetable is for the  (a) consultation and  (b) legislation on reform of the planning system, following the publication of the Planning White Paper.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are consulting on some key proposals and other issues in the White Paper 'Planning for a Sustainable Future' (Cm7120) and four associated consultation papers on: planning performance agreements; planning fees; changes to permitted development rights for householders; and improving the appeal process. The closing date for responses is August 17 2007. Paragraphs 10.15 and 10.16 of the White Paper describe further consultations proposed during 2007 and 2008.
	By summer 2007 we will consult on a new draft national Planning Policy Statement 'Planning for Economic Development', proposals to replace the need and impact tests with a new test, and proposals to reduce the Secretary of State's involvement in planning cases.
	By the end of 2007 we will consult on proposals to extend permitted development rights for the installation of microgeneration equipment without planning permission to non-residential users, on detailed changes to regulations, policy and guidance in relation to local plan making, on proposals on revised arrangements for statutory consultees and on proposals to extend the impact approach to minor non- householder development.
	By summer 2008 we will consult on proposals for revising the main legislation covering the process of submitting and considering planning applications.
	The Government plan to legislate at the earliest opportunity, with the aim of having the infrastructure planning commission operational in 2009.

Refuges: Females

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many recorded cases there were of women being housed in refuges and safe houses in West Lancashire constituency in 2006.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not hold a total figure centrally.
	Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level. The duty owed to a household accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available the authority may secure temporary accommodation until settled accommodation is provided.
	One type of temporary accommodation is women's refuges. A breakdown by local authority of reported households in women's refuges under homelessness provisions at the end of December 2006 has been placed in the Library of the House. The West Lancashire constituency falls within West Lancashire district local authority.
	Women may also enter refuges without going through the statutory homelessness route. Many women's refuges receive Supporting People funding, and records of new entrants to Supporting People funded services are submitted by service providers on the Client Record form.
	Data from the Client Record form are published on the Centre for Housing Research's website, for financial years and at administrative authority level. This includes the number of new clients entering Supporting People funded women's refuges, for service providers in each of the administrating authorities, including Lancashire county council, in 2006-07, in table 2.1: http://ggsrv-cold.st-andrews.ac.uk/spclientrecord/, (follow the links to "Latest Reports", then "Reporting to Administering Authorities").
	It is important to note that imputation has not been made for cases when the Client Record form was not submitted, and that these figures only cover Supporting People funded services.

Regional Planning and Development: Thames Gateway

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on the Government's targets  (a) to create 180,000 jobs and  (b) to build 160,000 new homes in the Thames Gateway between 2001 and 2016; and if she will make a statement on progress made to date towards meeting each target.

Yvette Cooper: The Government target to create the conditions for 180,000 jobs and the capacity for 160,000 homes was published in the Thames Gateway Interim Plan. The plan was endorsed by the relevant regional assemblies, regional development agencies, local regeneration partnerships and other key stakeholders through the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership. The Department continues to work with the partnership and others in pursuing its shared objectives.
	In 2005, there were approximately 58,600 more employees in the Thames Gateway than in 2001, an increase of 9.7 per cent. This is equivalent to an increase of approximately 46,600 or 9 per cent. in the number of full-time equivalent jobs.
	Between 2001-02 and 2005-06, a total of 29,775 net new dwellings have been added to the housing stock of the Thames Gateway.

Regional Spatial Strategies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the  (a) approval,  (b) amendment and  (c) ratification of each of the regional spatial strategies.

Meg Munn: The following table sets out the Secretary of State's current plans for publication of proposed changes and the issue of final Regional Spatial Strategies in each of the eight English regions outside London.
	
		
			   Proposed Changes  Issue of Final RSS 
			 North East May 2007 January 2008 
			 North West October 2007 March 2007 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside September 2007 February 2008 
			 East Midlands January 2008 July 2008 
			 West Midlands (Phase 1) July 2007 November 2007 
			 West Midlands (Phase 2) February 2009 June 2009 
			 East of England December 2006 Autumn 2007 
			 South East Autumn 2007 Spring 2008 
			 South West February 2008 June 2008

Small Businesses: Rates and Rating

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the take-up rate was for small business rate relief in each year since its introduction.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Rented Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether data on the location of subsidised housing from the National Register of Social Housing are used by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuation purposes.

Phil Woolas: No.

Subsidence

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what policies her Department has in place with regard to local authorities dealing with widespread and severe subsidence in public areas; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether her Department provides a contingency fund which local authorities can access to deal with severe and widespread subsidence in public areas caused by abandoned mineworkings.

Yvette Cooper: holding answers 11 June 2007
	The Department has in place the Land Stabilisation Programme as a source of contingency funding, which provides local authorities with financial assistance with meeting a proportion of the costs for dealing with unforeseen land instability problems caused by abandoned non-coal mines, where the project costs are judged to be eligible.

Subsidence

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance her Department has made available to local authorities affected by widespread and severe subsidence in public areas caused by abandoned mineworkings operated by companies no longer in existence on how to determine where the financial liabilities lie for restoring affected public areas, public buildings and private properties;
	(2)  what  (a) financial assistance,  (b) additional powers or responsibilities and  (c) legal and technical assistance her Department makes available to local authorities dealing with severe subsidence in public areas;
	(3)  what courses of action are available to local authorities to provide remedies to  (a) schools,  (b) housing estates and  (c) other public spaces affected by severe subsidence caused by derelict mineworkings; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer s 11 June 2007
	 Statutory responsibility in ensuring public safety from threats stemming from land instability lies with local authorities. Local authorities in England are eligible to apply to the Land Stabilisation Programme via English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, for assistance with funding for land stabilisation problems arising from abandoned non-coal mines. English Partnerships manages the Land Stabilisation Programme on behalf of the Department. The focus of funding through the Land Stabilisation Programme is principally on removal of blight or enabling investment to regenerate areas where abandoned underground non-coal mine workings are present and where there is a threat to life and/or property. Extensive guidance on the assistance available and how to apply for assistance with funding can be found on the English Partnerships website at:
	www.englishpartnerships.co.uk.
	Responsibility for dealing with stabilisation works and for complying with any regulations or legislation governing public health and safety lies at all times with local authorities. This includes compliance with planning requirements environmental protection and management of consultants/contractors. English Partnerships' expertise in best value and best practice is available to all project partners and covers a wide range of subjects such as construction methods and standards, management techniques, sustainable remediation and regeneration of blighted land. Where project costs are not eligible for assistance from EP via the Land Stabilisation Programme, EP will nevertheless assist with advice.
	Funding assistance for local authorities provided through the non-coalmining Land Stabilisation Programme can help to safeguard or remediate housing, commercial and other properties and public areas, including schools, above the mines.

Travelling People

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have produced Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments deemed inadequate by her Department on grounds of  (a) unreliable figures and  (b) inadequate research; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today (PQ 142434).

Travelling People

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to ensure that the Travellers' site at Ecton Lane is provided with the floodlighting and perimeter fencing as specified in the bid for funding approved by her Department.

Meg Munn: The completion of fencing as required by the contract specification is currently being undertaken by a fencing contractor, and is programmed to be completed by 20 July 2007.
	The floodlighting is now being undertaken by electrical contractors. These works have a target completion date of 27 July 2007.

Travelling People

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the quality of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments which she has received to date; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Secretary of State does not have a formal role in assessing the quality of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments. Communities and Local Government will offer advice and support to local authorities on undertaking these assessments as necessary. Draft guidance was published in February 2006, and a final version has now been laid before Parliament, as required by the Housing Act 2004.
	Regional assemblies will need to consider the quality of these assessments as they revise regional spatial strategies to identify pitch requirements at a regional level and allocate these between local authorities. Research undertaken for Communities and Local Government, "Preparing Regional Spatial Strategy reviews on Gypsies and Travellers by regional planning bodies", provides regional assemblies with a methodology for this. This is available on the Communities and Local Government website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l508208

Westminster City Council: Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1693W, if she will commission an independent assessment of Westminster city council's ability to procure short-term leased temporary accommodation for homeless households within its area before making any further reductions in housing benefit subsidy in 2008-09.

Yvette Cooper: A questionnaire has been sent to a sample of local authorities seeking information on the use and costs of temporary accommodation. Until we have considered the results of this questionnaire no decision can be made about subsidy arrangements in respect of homeless households in temporary accommodation for 2008-09.
	We are continuing to work with the Department for Works and Pensions and the devolved Administrations on our longer term proposals which would separate out reasonable costs for the rent and management of temporary accommodation; we would expect these to take effect from 2009.

TRANSPORT

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which properties have been purchased under compulsory purchase orders along the proposed route of the A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: No properties have been purchased under compulsory purchase orders along the proposed route of the A21 upgrade.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on the Weald Smokery, East Sussex, following its acquisition under blight provisions.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency purchased Weald Smokery on 8 May 2007. The property itself was purchased for £1,395,657.00 which includes the farmhouse at £525,000, the business at £810,657 and the land stables at £60,000.
	Following the purchase of the Weald Smokery under statutory blight provisions, the Highways Agency has incurred costs of £4,131 + VAT to date.

Aviation: Scotland

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many scheduled flights took place between  (a) Glasgow and London and  (b) Edinburgh and London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006.

Gillian Merron: The number of scheduled flights that took place between  (a) Glasgow and London and  (b) Edinburgh and London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006 were as follows:
	
		
			  Number of Scheduled flights between:  1997  2006 
			 Glasgow and London 22,318 24,371 
			 Edinburgh and London 26,307 35,045 
			  Note: London airports include Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton and Stansted.  Source:  Civil Aviation Authority

Speed Limits: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) reviewed on the likely change in number of speeding fines issued as a result of the new speed camera guidance effective from 1 April.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has not commissioned or reviewed any research on the likely change in number of speeding fines issued as a result of the new speed camera guidance. The guidance provides local authorities with greater freedom and flexibility on the deployment of cameras, allowing them to enforce in response to community concerns or at sites where there are speeding problems and a high risk that casualties will occur.

Travel: Carbon Emissions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the carbon emissions which would be caused by a journey from  (a) Glasgow and  (b) Edinburgh to London using a high-speed rail service;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the carbon emissions caused by a journey from  (a) Glasgow and  (b) Edinburgh to London by aeroplane.

Gillian Merron: The Department estimates that the per passenger carbon emissions for a journey between London and Edinburgh will be approximately 8 kg carbon for conventional speed rail, 17 kg carbon for high speed rail, and 26 kg carbon for aviation. Passenger carbon emissions are likely to be similar between Glasgow and London.
	These rail estimates assume an approximate 600 km distance, current electricity generation mix, average intercity train occupancy of 38 per cent., and the same number of passengers using a high speed rail service as the conventional rail service. The estimates will be sensitive to these assumptions.
	The estimate for air is based on Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs estimates of average per passenger kilometre emissions for domestic flights.(1) Estimates of rail carbon emissions are based on estimates by Professor Roger Kemp of Lancaster University(2) and Department for Transport modelling.
	(1) DEFRA. Guidelines to DEFRA's Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, (2007)
	(2 )Interfleet Traction Energy Metrics (2007)

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Olympic Games: Greater London

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision she is making for providing Dorset police authority with full funding for any security arrangements they provide for the Olympic games held in Dorset.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 25 June 2007
	The Home Office and Olympic security co-ordinator are developing and costing the security planning and operation for London 2012. This will be published when appropriate, and will include relevant costs for police forces outside London.

Sports: Finance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much she has allocated to the development of British sportsmen and women until 2012; how many recipients of such funding live in Ribble Valley constituency; and what proportion of the funding allocated to the 2012 Olympic games is for the development of sporting talent.

Richard Caborn: UK Sport, the Government's lead agency for high performance sport, is scheduled to allocate £600 million to the development of British sportsmen and women between now and 2012. £252 million has already been allocated to supporting Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes through to the Beijing games in 2008. £216.4 million has been awarded directly to the national governing bodies and the athletes via UK Sport's world-class pathway programme, with the remainder funding key athlete support services such as sports science and medicine, and technology research and innovation.
	The world-class pathway programme supports athletes at three different levels: World-class talent, world-class development and world-class podium. Of the total through to Beijing, approximately 50 per cent. of funding is focused on the world-class talent and development pathways.
	Funding for each sport beyond 2008-09 will be decided after a comprehensive review of its performance at the Beijing games, and assessment of its potential for future success at London 2012.
	At present there are three athletes from the Ribble Valley area on the world-class pathway programme.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Polygamy

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Solicitor-General how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions for polygamy there were in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no offence of polygamy as such. A person who enters into a second or subsequent marriage while the first is still valid commits an offence of bigamy under section 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
	The most recent data available, from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, show that in England and Wales in 2005, 28 defendants were prosecuted for and 21 found guilty of the offence of bigamy. Data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007 and data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Fire Prevention

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what guidance has been provided on the implementation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in churches.

Stuart Bell: Comprehensive guidance to the legislation may be found on the Department of Communities and Local Government website and the Churches Main Committee has circulated supplementary guidance on the regulations' effect on places of worship. Church Fire Guidance Notes are available from Ecclesiastical Insurance and from the Churchcare website
	http://www.churchcare.co.uk/atoz_fire.php
	Churches should be aware that, in practice, the 2005 Order did not significantly change the requirements falling on them. All churches are recommended to make a 'suitable and sufficient' risk assessment and act upon it.

WALES

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: No Wales Office staff have cited stress as a reason for sick absence in the last three years.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Absent Voting: Proof of Identity

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to check what proportion of postal vote identifiers were checked in the 2007 local elections.

Peter Viggers: On 20 February, the Department for Constitutional Affairs formally requested the Commission to carry out a review of the introduction of personal identifiers for absent voting in England and Wales, and to report by 31 July 2007. The Electoral Commission informs me that it has asked Returning Officers to supply information about the levels of checking they undertook in the 2007 local elections, and intends to include the information supplied by Returning Officers in its report.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Greg Hands: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much it has cost to commission the Russell Partnership to conduct a survey into catering services in the House.

Nick Harvey: Invoices have not yet been received for this work, but the tendered price to carry out two surveys (one for staff of the House and one for Members' staff) and to carry out interviews with a sample of around 35 Members is £6,950.
	The work is being carried out to provide qualitative information for the benchmarking of the House of Commons Refreshment Department's services, which was recommended by the Administration Committee in their report on Refreshment Department Services (HC 733) published on 14 February 2006.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: The following table represents the amount spent by staff in the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  (a) Credit Cards 0 0 0 
			  (b) Government Procurement Card 0 9,521 66,810 
			  (c) Fuel Cards 32,376 29,605 17,965 
		
	
	The Northern Ireland Office does not have departmental credit cards.
	The Government Purchasing Card (GPC) was fully introduced in the Northern Ireland Office in the 2006-07 financial year as a tool to purchase and pay for low value goods and services.

Departments: Legal Costs

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 19W, on Departments: legal costs, how much of the expenditure on legal fees in each of the last five years was incurred  (a) by the Public Prosecution Services,  (b) in respect of the Saville inquiry,  (c) in respect of the Finucane, Nelson, Hamill and Wright inquiries,  (d) by the Crown Solicitor's Office and  (e) by other parts of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Pursuant to the answer provided on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 19W, on the Department's legal costs, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) expenditure is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Legal fees  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  (a) Public Prosecution Service 5,005,857 5,374,952 6,357,772 6,783,071 9,858,615 
			  (b) Bloody Sunday Inquiry 9,746 3,000 12,361 1,733 65.310 
			  (c) Finucane, Nelson, Hamill and Wright Inquiries 0 1,733 110 15,177 10,408 
			  (d) Crown Solicitors Office 160,958 87,391 301,283 364,638 230,164 
			  (e) Other parts of NIO Department 337,587 117,413 332,880 169,411 705,432 
			 Total 5,514,148 5,584,489 7,004,406 7,334,030 10,869,929 
		
	
	The hon. Member should note that the total figures have changed from the answer given on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 19W. Some legal costs were omitted in error for which I apologise.
	The original answer should have read:
	"The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has spent the following on legal fees in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   Legal fees (£) 
			 2002-03 5,514,148 
			 2003-04 5,584,489 
			 2004-05 7,004,406 
			 2005-06 7,334,030 
			 2006-07 10,869,929 
		
	
	Legal fees for the NIO have risen substantially in 2006-07, mainly due to expenditure by the Public Prosecution Service on the Omagh bomb trial, and also on the trial of James Fulton and his associates, which proved to be the longest murder trial in NI history. These two cases alone have accounted for an increase in legal expenditure of £2 million. Scale fees for counsel also increased in April 2006, the first increase in a number of years, and this also contributed to overall increase in 06/07."

Departments: Official Visits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which destinations he visited in an official capacity between 17 May and 17 June.

Peter Hain: Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers
	In regards to domestic travel, between 17 May and 17 June 2007 I have been in Northern Ireland and London in my official capacity as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's budget is in 2007-08; and what estimate he has made of the budget for 2008-09.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its agencies and NDPBs, has been allocated the following funding for 2007-08 as per the published Treasury Main Supply Estimates 2007-08:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Resource DEL 1,141,000,000 
			 Capital DEL 71,913,000 
		
	
	The Department's 2008-09 budget will not be established until the outcome of the 2007 comprehensive spending review is announced. This covers the financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Peter Hain: From April 2006 to March 2007 the Northern Ireland Office carried out 19 consultation exercises. The following table lists the consultations undertaken and the costs involved. Where the costs are listed as '0' only the price of circulating the consultation document has been incurred. This information relates only to the NIO and does not include its agencies or NDPBs.
	
		
			  Consultation  Cost (£) 
			 Draft Policing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 2007. 1,500 
			 Young People and Licensed Firearms A review of the relevant provisions of the Firearms (NI) Order 2004. 0 
			 Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 -review of temporary provisions. 0 
			 New regulations and an approved code of practice and guidance on the manufacture and storage of explosives in Northern Ireland. 1,550.17 
			 The Police and Criminal Evidence (Amendment) (NI) Order 2006 5,755.97 
			 Road Traffic and Driver Disqualification. 2014.58 
			 Making Sure Crime Doesn't Pay—Proposals for a new measure to prevent convicted criminals profiting from published accounts of their crime. 2,372.56 
			 Consultation on Quashing Convictions. 2,245.83 
			 The law on knives in Northern Ireland. 2,959.03 
			 Increasing penalties for deliberate misuse of personal data. 0 
			 Proposals to amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (NI) 1979. 2,348.87 
			 A Protocol for community based restorative justice schemes. 310.63 
			 Reforming the law on Sexual Offences in Northern Ireland. 2,503.30 
			 Delivering a better service to Victims and Witnesses of Crime—A NI draft strategy. 0 
			 Hidden Crimes, Secret Pain—A consultation paper on a proposed regional strategy. 2,316.86 
			 Consultation on proposals for the Juvenile Justice Centre (NI) Order (Supervision) Rules (NI) 2007. 3,330 
			 A Forum on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland—A Consultation Paper. 0 
			 Regulating the Private Security Industry in Northern Ireland. 0 
			 Replacement arrangements for the Diplock Court System. 0

Rape: Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average sentence handed down by courts in Northern Ireland for rape was in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Table 1 as follows gives the number sentenced to immediate custody for rape and attempted rape and the average sentence length given for each of these offences and in total.
	Data cover the calendar years 2003 to 2005 (the latest available) and are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number sentenced to immediate custody and the average custodial sentence length in months for rape and attempted rape 2003-05 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Offence  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Average sentence length (months)  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Average sentence length (months)  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Average sentence length (months) 
			 Rape 8 100 14 (1)191 4 105 
			 Attempted rape 1 24 3 104 4 87 
			 Total 9 91 17 116 8 96 
			 (1 )Excludes one person sentenced to life imprisonment for rape.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the political situation on a regional level in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The general political situation in Afghanistan is relatively stable. The influence of the central Government outside Kabul is gradually increasing, particularly in the north and west. Local governance structures are slowly being built up, although this is more challenging in some areas than others. One of the key aims of the international-led provincial reconstruction teams, throughout the country, is to support the development of local government and to help the Government of Afghanistan extend their reach.

British Nationality: Prisoners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are serving jail sentences in prisons in the European Union, broken down by country.

Geoff Hoon: On 31 March, British consular officials were aware of 851 British nationals detained in EU countries. The breakdown by country is shown in the following table. These figures include detainees on remand, as well as those serving sentences.
	
		
			  Country  Number of detainees 
			 Austria 4 
			 Belgium 23 
			 Bulgaria 0 
			 Cyprus 18 
			 Czech Republic 4 
			 Denmark 12 
			 Estonia 0 
			 Finland 2 
			 France 107 
			 Germany 121 
			 Greece 18 
			 Hungary 1 
			 Ireland 91 
			 Italy 18 
			 Latvia 0 
			 Lithuania 0 
			 Luxembourg 5 
			 Malta 6 
			 Netherlands 60 
			 Poland 2 
			 Portugal 27 
			 Romania 0 
			 Slovakia 1 
			 Slovenia 2 
			 Spain 304 
			 Sweden 25 
			 Total 851

Iran: Embassies

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of  (a) the extent and nature of the recent harassment of guests to the United Kingdom embassy in Iran and  (b) the extent to which the Iranian authorities assisted in minimising the harassment and controlling the demonstrators; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There was a large demonstration outside our embassy in Tehran before and during Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday Party reception on 14 June. The demonstrators blocked access to the embassy for some hours and harassed and intimidated guests on their way into the reception. There were some instances of physical violence. Harassment continued as guests left the party and we are aware of a number of instances of guests being questioned and detained on departure.
	The Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office summoned the Iranian ambassador on 19 June to register our dismay that the authorities had failed to prevent this harassment from taking place. Our embassy in Tehran has done likewise with the Iranian authorities.

Palestinians: Lebanon

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on providing aid to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has ongoing discussions with her ministerial colleagues on a range of issues on the Middle East including provision of aid. Officials are also in regular contact to discuss these issues.
	The Department for International Development takes the lead on the provision of aid and has a significant programme of assistance to Palestinians in Lebanon. The UK is a regular and significant donor to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), who are taking the leading role in the humanitarian response to the crisis at the Nahr El Bared refugee camp. The Government have committed £100 million of funding to UNRWA's work in the region over the next five years. Historically, around 20 per cent. of UNRWA spending is on Lebanon.
	The UK is also supporting the Lebanon operation of the non-governmental organisation 'Mines Action Group' (MAG) which is standing by to assist in clearing unexploded ordnance in the Palestinian refugee camp directly affected by the recent violence in the north of the country. We are providing £290,000 to MAG in Lebanon this financial year, with projected total funding to MAG's work in the country at over £980,000 over the next three years.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on stability in the region of the newly formed Palestinian Government.

Kim Howells: We have made no assessment of the effect the new Palestinian Government have had on stability in the region. We, along with regional partners, are concerned about the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Palestinian President Abbas, US Secretary of State Rice and the Egyptian, Omani and Qatari Foreign Ministers ahead of the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting on 15 June. We support President Abbas and the emergency Government.
	Arab League Foreign Ministers on 15 June agreed to support President Abbas and condemned all parties for the violence. The Arab League agreed to establish a Fact-Finding Committee (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Qatar) to engage with the parties.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the mission in Helmand province was originally expected to end; and what the most recent estimate is of what that date will be.

Des Browne: The current deployment of UK troops in the South of Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is planned until 2009, although we have always made it clear that our commitment to Afghanistan is a long-term one. The size and duration of the UK presence in Helmand will depend on a number of factors including the ability of Afghan security forces to take greater responsibility for the security of their own country.

Al Yamamah Project

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which organisations had drawing rights on the special account held at the Bank of England in relation to the Al Yamamah contract; and what information his Department had on the identity of those with drawing rights on accounts to which money was sent from that special account.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1989W.

Armed Forces: Cultural Heritage

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to UK armed forces personnel serving in  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) Iraq and  (c) other theatres overseas on the buying and export from the country of origin of ancient coins and antiquities and other cultural property; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Guidance on this issue is provided in both a Defence Council Instruction (DCI) and a Defence Operational Instruction (DOI) on the retention of captured enemy equipment as operational memorabilia (OM).
	Specifically in relation to OM: the DCI states
	"Units are to ensure that neither items of private property nor those that could be seen as having historical, cultural or religious significance are removed."
	and the DOI states
	"Items of private property or items that could be seen as having historic, cultural or religious significance are not to be removed."
	In addition there are provisions within the agreements between UK and the host nation in which our troops are serving that state that personnel will respect the laws, regulations, customs and traditions of the host country insofar as this is compatible with the entrusted task and mandate.

Armed Forces: Desertion

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) rank,  (b) age,  (c) sex,  (d) regiment and  (e) last theatre of operation is of those service personnel classed as being absent without leave and who have not yet been unaccounted for.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, as at 25 June 2007, the numbers of personnel who have gone absent without leave from the services since 1 January 2003 and remain so are:
	
		
			  Service  Number 
			 Army 960 
			 RAF 10 
			 Navy 15 
		
	
	These figures are rounded to the nearest five. They are subject to daily changes as individuals return to their units.

Armed Forces: Housing

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of accommodation provided by his Department to non-ministerial members of the Army Board is considered to be of Standard 1 condition.

Derek Twigg: Of the five non-ministerial members of the Army Board who are provided with accommodation, two (40 per cent.) occupy Standard 1 Condition properties. They are the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and the Assistant Chief of the General Staff. The property occupied by the Chief of the General Staff is not owned or maintained by the MOD and therefore is not classified using the MOD system.

Armed Forces: Housing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed services personnel  (a) were barracked in the UK and  (b) had a private residence that was not provided by the armed forces in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: Figures for the period 2003 to 2006 are set out as follows. The term 'barracked in the UK' has been taken to include all Service Family Accommodation (SFA), Single Living Accommodation (SLA), Substitute Service Families Accommodation (SSFA) and Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA). The information requested is currently captured as at 1 April each year, but this only began in 2003 for SFA and 2004 for SLA. The allocation and occupancy of SFA is managed on a single information system, but in the case of SLA differences in reporting, for example over whether SLA is formally allocated to individuals in dormitories, mean that the figures should be regarded as approximate. Information on SLA occupied by those undergoing Phase 1 and 2 training (basic recruit/trade training) is not available for 2004 and 2005, but is included in the 2006 figures. Comparable figures for 2007 are not yet available.
	
		
			   1 April  each year: 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Number of entitled Service personnel accommodated in SFA/SSFA in UK 43,148 42,848 42,848 43,339 
			 Number of entitled Service personnel accommodated in SLA/SSLA in UK n/a 89,990 91,979 108,308 
			 Total number of entitled Service personnel Barracked in UK — 132,838 134,827 151,647 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	Information on whether Service personnel own a private residence is not held by the Ministry of Defence. However, estimates derived from surveys indicate that the level of home ownership is approximately 73 per cent. for Officers and 45 per cent. for Other Ranks.

Armed Forces: Housing

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of bringing all family accommodation at Pirbright barracks to an acceptable standard for habitation.

Derek Twigg: We have not yet made any dedicated estimate of the cost of bringing all Service Families Accommodation (SFA) at Pirbright Barracks to an acceptable standard.

Departments: Common Purpose

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was.

Derek Twigg: Sums paid to Common Purpose UK in each of the last complete five financial years, inclusive of VAT, are as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 56,576.25 
			 2003-04 66,716.50 
			 2004-05 42,958.00 
			 2005-06 58,456.27 
			 2006-07 83,817.89 
		
	
	These payments covered the cost of participation by MOD staff in Common Purpose UK's training and education programmes. Programmes of this nature help to develop leadership skills, to gain understanding about broader aspects of government and to share experience with and learn from participants from both the private and public sectors.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Derek Twigg: Departmental staffs 60 and over are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			  April 2005  
			 Percentage of staff aged 60 and over 5.8 
			   
			  April 2006  
			 Percentage of staff aged 60 and over 6.5 
			   
			  April 2007  
			 Percentage of staff aged 60 and over 7.6 
			  Source: DASA (Civilian) 
		
	
	Figures quoted include trading funds, but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and locally engaged staff. Percentages have been calculated on unrounded figures.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Derek Twigg: The following table gives details of civilian personnel recruited by the Ministry of Defence:
	
		
			  Civilian inflow to the Ministry of Defence by financial year 
			  Headcount 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Age  Total inflow  Percentage of total inflow  Total inflow  Percentage of total inflow  Total inflow  Percentage of total inflow 
			 55 to 59 590 6.3 360 5.8 350 6.2 
			 60+ 310 3.3 210 3.3 220 4.0 
			 55+ 900 9.6 570 9.2 570 10.2 
			  Notes: 1. This includes industrial and non industrial staff employed by the Ministry of Defence and trading funds, but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and locally engaged staff. 2. Percentages are calculated on unrounded figures and exclude staff of unknown age. 3. Staff grouped 55+ are a subset of 60+. 4. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.  Source: DASA (Civilian)

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Derek Twigg: There are a variety of staff surveys conducted by the Ministry of Defence. Details of these surveys are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The four principal staff surveys conducted in the last 12 months were of the Naval Services, Army, RAF and civilian personnel.

Departments: Written Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ordinary written questions tabled to his Department by hon. Members have been waiting for a substantive reply for more than  (a) one month and  (b) two months; and what the subjects are of those questions.

Derek Twigg: As at 25 June, five ordinary written questions had been waiting for a reply for between one and two months and eight for more than two months. The questions are various and include subjects such as insurgency in Iraq, contaminated land, service personnel issues, and costs and expense claims of Army Board members.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the capabilities of insurgents in Iraq to launch attacks on naval and maritime targets.

Des Browne: We keep the capability of insurgents in Iraq under constant review, including their capability to launch attacks on naval and maritime targets. This is a credible threat and our current force structure reflects that assessment.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with senior army personnel on the death of Baha Mousa in Basra in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 June 2007
	The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with senior army personnel on a range of matters. In line with standard practice, the Royal military police are currently reviewing the evidence from the court-martial. The Army Reviewing Authority is also conducting a statutory review of the sentence passed on Corporal Payne and the case remains sub judice. We will make a statement when these reviews are complete.

Land: Sales

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1035W, on land: sales, on what basis a contaminated site is not remediated before sale; and on what basis land on Matapan Road, Hilsea was not remediated.

Derek Twigg: It is normal for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to undertake Land Quality Assessments (LQAs) on all sites being considered for disposal. Before the sale of a site, the MOD will generally undertake remediation of ordnance and other defence specific contaminants such as chemical agents, radioactive and microbiological materials.
	A phase I and phase II LQA survey for the Royal Navy Motor Transport Depot site at Hilsea concluded there were no unacceptable risks to public health or the environment and action was not required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Low levels of contamination were identified but no remediation measures by this Department were deemed necessary.

Navy: Drug Seizures

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the value was of illegal narcotics seized by the Royal Navy in all theatres in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what value of illegal narcotics was seized by the Royal Navy in all theatres in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: holding answer s  18 June 2007
	All drugs seizures involving Royal Naval vessels or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels over the past three years have taken place in the Caribbean or the Atlantic.
	Figures for total tonnage seized also include estimated amounts that traffickers have jettisoned or destroyed during Royal Naval interdiction operations.
	It is difficult to put an accurate value on the amount of illegal drugs seized or destroyed in these operations. The price of illegal drugs varies greatly depending on supply and demand, as well as the purity of the drugs themselves when they reach the UK market. Therefore quoted MOD figures for the "street value" of successful seizures are always estimates. Against that background and following close consultation with the Serious Organised Crime Agency since its formation in April last year, we have revised our overall figures for 2006-07 seizures (better reflecting the actual street value).
	The tonnage and estimated value of Royal Naval drugs seizures over the last three reporting years are set out as follows.
	
		
			   Tonnage (to nearest metric tonne).  Estimated street value (£ million) 
			 2004-05 10 500 
			 2005-06 14 840 
			 2006-07 17 680

Written Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to question 134491, on land: sales, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 24 April 2007; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Derek Twigg: I replied to the hon. Member today. The delay occurred because I sought further information in order to give the fullest possible reply.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Hilary Armstrong: We do not have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive. The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Voluntary Organisations: National Lottery

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on the impact of funding plans for the 2012 Olympics on lottery funding for voluntary sector organisations.

Hilary Armstrong: The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is the main distributor of lottery funding to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The BLF has committed to distributing 60-70 per cent. of its money to the voluntary sector and that commitment is based on the money the sector would have received without the Olympic transfer, not 60-70 per cent. of what is left. The commitment remains unchanged, and the NCVO has welcomed this. It will allow for the important work carried out by Third Sector organisations, for the benefit of individuals and communities, to continue.
	The other lottery distributors are currently considering the specific impact of the Olympics funding on the VCS. However, lottery money will not be transferred to Olympic funding before 2009. This is in order to give the distributors the highest degree of certainty and the greatest possible time for planning. The other distributors are also concerned to ensure that support for small-scale and voluntary sector projects remains available.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: Department for International Development spend on departmental credit, procurement and fuel cards in the last three years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Credit card  Procurement card  Fuel card  Total for year 
			 2004 41,980 127,840 0 169,820 
			 2005 56,981 2,594,110 0 2,651,091 
			 2006 16,567 2,684,785 0 2,701,352 
			 Year to date (1)0 770,182 0 770,182 
			 (1 )The use of the credit card ceased in August 2006

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Gareth Thomas: The vast majority of light bulbs and fluorescent tubes used in DFID are of the energy efficient type. DFID purchased 1,645 bulbs and fluorescent tubes in the 2005-06 financial year and 2,015 in 2006-07.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: Information on the number of staff over 60 is not available for March 2005, but figures for the last two years are shown in the following table. The figures relate to both our UK-based staff and staff appointed locally overseas.
	
		
			  As of 31 March:  Total number of s taff  Number of staff over 60  Percentage 
			 2005 2,917 (1)— (1)— 
			 2006 2,779 51 1.84 
			 2007 2,630 67 2.55 
			 (1 )Not available

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Gareth Thomas: In 2004, there were 409 new recruits to DFID, of which 10 were over age 55 and a further three over age 60. These represent 2.44 per cent. and 0.73 per cent. of the total respectively.
	For 2005, there were 243 new recruits to DFID, of which eight (3.29 per cent.) were over age 55 and one (0.41 per cent.) was over age 60.
	In 2006 the total was 208, with six (2.88 per cent.) over age 55 and none over age 60.
	These figures include both our UK-based staff and those appointed locally overseas.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: Data on stress related absence in DFID are only available for the last year and the estimated figure for this was 1.1 per cent. of total sickness absence in that period. Data are not available for the previous two years and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 8W, which set out the steps DFID has taken to prevent and manage stress in the workplace. On 1 July DFID will launch our Better Balance Campaign which is specifically targeted at raising awareness of stress-related issues and the support available to tackle these.

Palestinians: EC Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the resumption of European Union aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Hilary Benn: The UK fully supports the EU's position. On 18 June, EU Foreign Ministers discussed the resumption of assistance to the Palestinian Authority. They concluded that the EU should develop the conditions for urgent practical and financial assistance. The EU is currently working on plans for the best way for this to be delivered. In allocating our assistance, we will wish to ensure that it addresses the needs of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, and is subject to satisfactory fiduciary controls.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the humanitarian requirements of the displaced people in the Gereida region of Darfur following the recent withdrawal of independent aid agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The work of Oxfam and other aid agencies in addressing the humanitarian needs of the 130,000 people in Gereida was exceptional. Their withdrawal is highly regrettable but under the circumstances, they could not place their staff at such a continued risk. Since the evacuation of the other agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as the only agency left, decided to cover the gaps, providing water, sanitation, food, health care, shelter and other household items to the camp and host population of Gereida. As a result of this huge expansion in services, ICRC increased their appeal by £13 million to £44 million. In response, DFID increased its support to ICRC proportionately by £1 million to £4 million for 2007.
	The events in Gereida underline the fragility of the humanitarian situation in Darfur. It is only through the admirable work of aid agencies that the four million people dependent on aid in the region have had access to vital assistance and services. The deterioration of the security situation and attacks on humanitarian workers, however, are having a severe impact on getting help to those in need.
	I utterly condemn the continuing violence targeting civilians and humanitarian workers in Darfur and have called on all sides to cease the violence immediately, renew the ceasefire, reinvigorate the political process and support the rapid deployment of the AU/ UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cattle: Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of live calves exported since 1 January 2007 have formed part of  (a) a consignment exported from a single farm and  (b) a multiple pick up of consignments from several farms;
	(2)  what proportion of live calves exported since 1 January 2007 have been sent  (a) from a holding of origin in the UK directly to a place of destination in another EU member state,  (b) from a holding of origin in the UK via an assembly centre in the UK to a place of destination in another member state and  (c) from a holding of origin in the UK via an assembly market in the UK to a place of destination in another member state; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer s  14 June 2007
	The information requested is not collected centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Climate Change: Insects

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessments have been made of the impact of climate change on the life cycle of  (a) bees and  (b) insect populations.

Barry Gardiner: Losses of pollinators may be just one of the signals of the effects of climate change on our ecosystem goods and services that we need to respond to. The recently published DEFRA-funded review "England Biodiversity Strategy—Towards Adaptation to Climate Change" identified potential impacts of climate change on species and habitats. The report gave an overview of the types of impacts and their effects on a full range of species and habitats, under each of the England Biodiversity Strategy sectors, such as Agriculture or Woodland and Forestry. It did not look specifically at insect life cycles, although a few examples are given of effects on insects.
	DEFRA also co-funded the MONARCH project (Modelling Natural Resource Impacts of Climate Change) which projected how the area that provides suitable climate for a particular species might change between now and 2080. Most of the insects covered in the MONARCH report (published in May 2007) were butterflies and showed a potential increase in suitable climate area. However there are clearly other insects at more northerly latitudes or higher altitudes or those that require for damp conditions that risk a loss or shift in suitable climate area.
	Other research in this area is undertaken outside the Department. The previous (6th) and current (7th) EU research framework programmes have had major themes on the biological impacts of climate change. The Natural Environment Research Council draft strategy for 2007-12 lists as its principal science goal the prediction of regional and local impacts of climate change. DEFRA maintains close links with these programmes in Europe and the UK.
	This is a rapidly developing field and there is a need to assemble evidence to prioritise research and adopt an integrated approach to guide policy responses. The England Biodiversity Strategy Climate Change Adaptation Workstream and the Climate Change Adaptation Network are helping this process.

Climate Change: Publicity

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on advertising the Department's climate change campaign act on carbon dioxide; and how much has been spent on  (a) online advertising and  (b) television advertising.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA's climate change 'Act on CO2' campaign was launched in March 2007.
	In the financial year 2006-07, the Department spent £225,000 on online advertising and nothing on any other media, including television advertising.

Dairy Farming

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms went out of business in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of these farms were located in Cheshire.

Barry Gardiner: Information on numbers of holdings is collected in the annual June survey of agriculture and horticulture. No information is collected on the number of holdings leaving the industry. The following figures show the number of registered holdings at June each year where dairy was the predominant activity. These figures show net change only and therefore include gains as well as losses.
	
		
			  Number of dairy type holdings 
			   England  Cheshire CC  Halton and Warrington UA 
			 2004 13,264 887 10 
			 2005 12,918 851 (1)— 
			 2006 12,626 836 (1)— 
			 (1 )Suppressed to ensure the confidentiality of individual holdings.  Note: Estimates have been made for holdings on surveyed and holdings not responding.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: From information held centrally, the spend (inclusive of VAT) by staff in the Department via departmental procurement and fuel cards in each of the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Government procurement card 3,797,675.07 5,751,629.76 8,327,067.01 
			 Fuel cards 15,878.28 20,203.05 10,457.36 
		
	
	The Department does not issue departmental credit cards—payment cards which permit the holder under the contract with the issuer to purchase goods and/or services on a credit basis.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs does not record the number of energy saving light bulbs purchased on a year by year basis.
	In accordance with the Government's sustainable procurement policies and the recommendations of the sustainable procurement task force, all light bulbs purchased for use on the departmental estate are energy saving bulbs.
	Additionally, any remaining tungsten lighting within the estate is being replaced with energy saving bulbs as part of the ongoing sustainability review.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many memoranda of understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Barry Gardiner: Records of memoranda of understanding (MoU)'s are not held centrally across Whitehall or centrally within DEFRA.
	However, I am aware that we hold the following MoU's:
	with Japan on the continuation of co-operation on research into environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals. This MoU facilitates exchange of information and joint workshops but has not lead to direct executive action;
	with the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources covering cooperation on matters relating to environmental protection and sustainable development. There are no executive actions arising from this MoU;
	with environment ministries or regulators in 15 countries to develop registry software for the trading of carbon allowances—Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia. In each case the MoU has been supplemented by a formal separate licence agreement with each country and officials work closely with their counterparts on the software developments including improvements to the existing operational software;
	with the National Development Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on establishing a China-UK Climate Change Working Group. The MoU identified a range of climate change science, economics, technology and policy priorities for discussion; and
	between DEFRA, DTI and The Ministry of Science and Technology of the people's Republic of China. Its title is "Cooperation on Near-zero Emissions Coal Technology through Carbon Capture and Storage— Phase 1".
	Its purpose is to cooperate on near zero coal technology in China through carbon capture and storage and to explore the feasibility of and options for demonstration of this technology in China. Phase 1 activities are aimed to be complete by 2008;
	with China memorandum of understanding on agricultural science and technology, signed in 1980 Originally the responsibility of the Department for International Development's predecessor department. The Memorandum's sole executive action is the facilitation, with minimal funding (£10,000 a year, matched by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture), of exchange visits between British and Chinese agricultural experts in relation to selected research projects;
	with China on Phytosanitary Co-operation. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen bilateral phytosanitary co-operation, to help prevent the movement of plant pests. Under the agreement, both parties exchange information on legislation; support technical exchanges, and notify each other of any discovery of plant pests; and
	a Protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of potato mini tubers from the UK to China, signed in Beijing in October 2006 by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of his DEFRA colleague
	DEFRA does have other ministerial-level agreements with foreign Governments, such as the Sustainable Development Dialogues with Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, but these are not formal MoU's.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on home working.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA does not keep centrally held records of staff who work from home and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Home working commences because it enables DEFRA to both recruit and maintain a diverse work force. Home working helps staff maintain a work life balance. DEFRA is committed to helping its staff maintain a work life balance and recognises that home working can help to reduce the need to travel to work thereby removing journey time and potentially reducing overall transport congestion and pollution as well as individual stress levels. Therefore, DEFRA believes that home working contributes not just to staff welfare but ultimately to delivery of a high quality service to our customers. DEFRA supports home working and is taking steps to ensure that the necessary tools and technologies are in place to facilitate this as part of its overall policy on flexible working. Home working can include the occasional day or days taken to complete a specific task or address a particular situation and is available to all staff subject to business needs. Alternatively, it can be a permanent arrangement with regular home working days appropriate to the individual's situation.
	Managers and individuals are encouraged to think creatively about working patterns so that efficient working can most easily be combined with other responsibilities and with employee's interests, responsibilities and personal circumstances.

Departments: Official Engagements

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list his official engagements with  (a) non-governmental organisations and  (b) private companies in the last three months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State had the following official engagements in the last three months with non-governmental organisations and private companies.
	27 March: World Wildlife Fund
	29 March: Green Alliance
	18 April: Range of Stakeholders to discuss Marine Policy
	18 April: Syngenta
	23 April: Range of Stakeholders to discuss Climate Change
	23 April: Arup
	2 May: Range of Stakeholders to discuss Planning White Paper
	15 May: BP
	4 June: General Motors
	18 June: Range of Stakeholders to discuss Climate Change

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: The percentage of staff in DEFRA over 60 in the last three years for which published figures are available was as follows:
	
		
			  As at 1 April each year  Percentage 
			 2003 1.66 
			 2004 1.95 
			 2005 1.78

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Barry Gardiner: The number of people over  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 recruited by DEFRA in the last three years for which published figures are available was as follows:
	
		
			   Over 55  Over 60 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2003 10 1.33 <10 — 
			 2004 10 1.37 0 0 
			 2005 10 2.50 <10 — 
			  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, and those below 10 are not disclosed for privacy reasons.

Departments: Publications

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many copies his Department printed of  (a) reports and  (b) consultation documents in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 18 June 2007
	The Government have a duty to explain their policies, decisions and actions; to inform the public about their rights and liabilities; and to provide the public with advice and warnings. DEFRA publishes regular reports and consultations in accordance with these principles. The number of copies printed of such publications is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. Print procurement policy is to produce the lowest quantity of publications to meet the specific needs of each case, thereby minimising waste. Most reports are less than 1,000 copies. In the case of consultations, most are handled online and stakeholders may download a copy for local printing. Copies will be supplied to order—printed digitally—on a limited basis, if requested, as will large print and Braille versions.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average number of days per year was taken by staff in his Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Barry Gardiner: Information on sickness absences in Departments is collected by the Cabinet Office and published on their website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational health/publications/index.asp
	The most recent published data available are for the calendar year 2005. The average number of working days lost due to sickness in DEFRA in 2005 and in the previous four years was as follows:
	
		
			   Working days lost  Total staff-years 
			 2001 7.4 n/a 
			 2002 8.7 10,320 
			 2003 8.3 7,285 
			 2004 7.5 7,483 
			 2005 8.2 7,313

Farmers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers there were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979; and what proportion of the total workforce they made up.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the number of farmers and total agricultural workforce in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) England and the proportion of the total UK workforce they made up for 1992-2006. These are the figures that are most readily available. Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authorities.
	
		
			  Numbers of farmers and agricultural labour in Cornwall (inc. Isles of Scilly), the South West region and England 
			   Farmers  As  percentage of  total UK workforce  Agricultural labour  As  percentage  of total UK workforce 
			  (a) Cornwall 
			 1992 10,027 0.0 15,509 0.1 
			 1993 10,130 0.0 15,413 0.1 
			 1994 9,950 0.0 15,157 0.1 
			 1995 9,609 0.0 14,770 0.1 
			 1996 9,665 0.0 14,827 0.1 
			 1997 9,579 0.0 14,751 0.1 
			 1998 9,706 0.0 15,251 0.1 
			 1999 9,397 0.0 14,601 0.1 
			 2000 10,612 0.0 15,612 0.1 
			 2001 11,082 0.0 15,665 0.1 
			 2002 10,499 0.0 14,808 0.0 
			 2003 10,107 0.0 14,116 0.0 
			 2004 10,467 0.0 14,461 0.0 
			 2005 10,417 0.0 14,342 0.0 
			 2006 10,418 0.0 14,246 0.0 
			  (b) South West 
			 1992 49,932 0.2 85,738 0.3 
			 1993 50,921 0.2 86,211 0.3 
			 1994 51,338 0.2 85,948 0.3 
			 1995 49,891 0.2 83,510 0.3 
			 1996 50,152 0.2 83,628 0.3 
			 1997 49,888 0.2 83,039 0.3 
			 1998 50,884 0.2 83,428 0.3 
			 1999 49,996 0.2 80,686 0.3 
			 2000 54,200 0.2 81,235 0.3 
			 2001 57,202 0.2 83,489 0.3 
			 2002 54,714 0.2 79,718 0.3 
			 2003 53,061 0.2 76,205 0.3 
			 2004 54,439 0.2 79,264 0.3 
			 2005 54,732 0.2 79,023 0.3 
			 2006 55,177 0.2 78,006 0.2 
			  (c) England 
			 1992 213,337 0.8 420,074 1.5 
			 1993 216,094 0.8 417,619 1.5 
			 1994 215,010 0.8 410,809 1.5 
			 1995 208,050 0.7 400,887 1.4 
			 1996 207,807 0.7 396,786 1.4 
			 1997 206,421 0.7 393,105 1.4 
			 1998 208,156 0.7 396,557 1.4 
			 1999 203,362 0.7 379,018 1.3 
			 2000 220,934 0.7 374,291 1.3 
			 2001 233,738 0.8 386,732 1.3 
			 2002 225,521 0.7 371,824 1.2 
			 2003 219,123 0.7 354,381 1.2 
			 2004 224,449 0.7 367,585 1.2 
			 2005 223,008 0.7 364,891 1.2 
			 2006 223,769 0.7 361,017 1.1 
			  Notes: 1. Figures prior to 2000 cover main holdings only. Figures from 2000 onwards include main and minor holdings. A minor holding has to meet all the following conditions: (a) have a total area of less than 6 hectares (b) a total labour requirement of less than 100 standard person days (c) no regular full-time farmer or worker (d) a glasshouse area of less than a 100 square metres (e) the occupier does not farm another holding 2. Estimates have been made for holdings not selected or not responding. 3. Office for National Statistics total labour force figures include all workforce categories (employed, self-employed, HM forces and Government supported trainees) 4. Agricultural labour force includes: (a) principal farmers, spouses and business partners (b) salaried managers, regular and casual/gang workers 5. Due to the introduction of new questions in 1998 figures prior to this year are not directly comparable with earlier years' results. 5. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.  Source: June Agricultural Survey Office for National Statistics

Farmers: Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of farmers in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK who are living below the poverty line.

Barry Gardiner: The Government's preferred measure of "low income" is income that is less than 60 per cent. of the median equivalised income for all UK households after tax. The Farm Business Survey is not able to provide figures for income net of tax and the figures below are therefore based upon a modified low income threshold of £13,800 calculated before tax. Data on farm household income are available for 2005-06 only and not at the UK level.
	
		
			   Estimated number of farm households below the modified low income threshold  Estimated proportion of households below the modified low income threshold (percentage) 
			 Cornwall 800 55 
			 South West GOR 4,300 37 
			 England 19,100 31 
			  Source: Farm Business Survey, 2005-06

Farmers: Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average annual earnings for farmers in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979.

Barry Gardiner: Information is not available in the precise form requested. The following table shows average net farm income per farm in  (a) Cornwall  (b) the South West Government Office Region and  (c) the UK in each year since 1980-81. Data are not available on a comparable basis for earlier years.
	
		
			   Average net farm income (£-farm) 
			  March- February  Cornwall  South West  United Kingdom 
			 1980-81 6,289 8,496 7,013 
			 1981-82 8,158 13,114 10,005 
			 1982-83 10,424 10,976 11,341 
			 1983-84 6,430 9,895 10,714 
			 1984-85 7,683 10,996 11,817 
			 1985-86 8,375 9,404 6,675 
			 1986-87 5,513 9,528 10,011 
			 1987-88 13,338 16,003 11,571 
			 1988-89 15,401 19,083 12,319 
			 1989-90 10,952 14,420 15,482 
			 1990-91 7,655 11,542 14,288 
			 1991-92 13,814 15,254 15,250 
			 1992-93 15,237 19,541 19,166 
			 1993-94 20,687 21,669 21,923 
			 1994-95 13,966 21,281 24,123 
			 1995-96 20,976 30,778 31,776 
			 1996-97 7,413 22,785 26,027 
			 1997-98 1,868 11,688 12,213 
			 1998-99 -1,170 6,428 8,512 
			 1999-2000 1,641 7,508 6,639 
			 2000-01 3,702 6,841 8,666 
			 2001-02 17,015 15,110 12,992 
			 2002-03 16,070 15,079 13,728 
			 2003-04 18,914 21,458 23,932 
			 2004-05 11,539 17,080 17,991 
			 2005-06 10,463 17,753 17,508 
			  Source: Farm Business Survey 
		
	
	Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business. It excludes all income arising from outside the farm business.

Fisheries: Finance

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the Government have allocated to the inshore, under 10 metre fishing fleet in the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 14 June 2007
	From 1997 to 2006 some £1.5 million of Government and European funds has been paid to owners for modernising fishing vessels in England.
	Figures are not held separately for under 10 metre vessels.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to introduce a code of practice for tethering; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: A code of practice on the tethering of horses will be introduced as soon as possible in line with available resources. No timetable has yet been set.

Livery Yards: Licensing

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to require livery yards to be licensed; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Secondary legislation, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, concerning livery yards will be introduced as soon as possible in line with available resources. No timetable has yet been set.

Pollution Control

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) the senior management and  (b) the trades union representatives of the Environment Agency on the implications for (i) pollution control and (ii) employment of field inspectors of the proposed changes in the pollution monitoring and control regime.

Ben Bradshaw: The change from area office permitting to four national permitting centres is an operational matter for the Environment Agency. As such, it is its responsibility and the Secretary of State has had no discussions with either the senior management or trade union representatives about it.
	The Agency understands that the scale of change can give rise to uncertainty for staff and has ensured that everyone in the organisation is aware of the programme of change. The Agency has full and regular consultation with the trade unions on the changes and potential impact on their members. The implementation of business changes which impact on staff is carried out in accordance with a set of principles agreed with the trade unions.

Sewers

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he expects the statutory instrument enabling the transfer of private sewers in the area including Lime Grove, Sittingbourne to the ownership of Southern Water will be  (a) drafted,  (b) made and  (c) tabled; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what issues the forthcoming further public consultation on the transfer of private sewers to water companies will cover which  (a) were and  (b) were not raised in either of the two previous consultations on the transfer of private sewers; and what the reasons are for the further consultation.

Ian Pearson: In 2003, a public consultation reviewing existing private sewers in England and Wales sought views on a number of possible solutions to the problems caused by them, including the adoption of private sewers by water and sewerage undertakers.
	The Government announced on 22 February that existing private sewers and lateral drains connected to the public sewer in England should be transferred into the ownership of the nine statutory water and sewerage companies. The Government undertook to consult on a range of ways transfer could be implemented and to examine how to prevent the proliferation of new private sewers. The consultation will also pose questions on the scope of assets to be included in transfer.
	The consultation on implementation options will take place over the summer and will run for 12 weeks. Following this, regulations will be drafted, consulted on and amended accordingly. The timing of the process cannot be stated with any certainty, but the earliest date for regulations to be in force is likely to be summer 2008.

Water Sports: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to grant a licence to Bournemouth for the operation of the artificial surf reef.

Ian Pearson: An application to construct an artificial surf reef at Boscombe is under consideration by the Marine and Fisheries Agency and its advisers. An assessment is being made of the environmental, navigational and fisheries implications, taking into account the views of a number of consultees. A meeting has been arranged with the applicant and Bournemouth district council, to discuss aspects of the project.
	Once this assessment has been completed a decision will be made as to whether to issue a licence.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of  (a) full compliance,  (b) partial compliance and  (c) non-compliance by the partner without care were recorded by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman.

Child Support: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which electoral wards in West Lancashire have the highest numbers of Child Support Agency claimants.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Children Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was collected in maintenance by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1993-94; what the cost of running the agency was in each year; how much he expects it to collect in 2007-08; what the expected cost is of running the agency in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply for the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was collected in maintenance by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1993-1994; what the cost of running the Agency was in each year; how much he expects to collect in 2007-08; what the expected cost of running the Agency in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.
	Such information as is available, is presented in the attached table.
	
		
			  Child Support Agency's actual and forecast net administration costs and maintenance collections for the years 1994-95 to 2007-08 
			  £ million 
			   Annual agency net administration costs  Total maintenance collected and arranged (see note 7)  Estimated value of maintenance direct arrangements in place m (see note 8) 
			 2007-08 570.00 970.00 310.00 
			 2006-07 520.34 882.6 276.9 
			 2005-06 465.22 828.5 234.3 
			 2004-05 425.59 793.2 208.5 
			 2003-04 451.60 794.7 214.2 
			 2002-03 428.90 572.55 — 
			 2001-02 361.90 528.45 — 
			 2000-01 298.30 502.55 — 
			 1999-00 266.70 460.68 — 
			 1998-99 231.20 393.38 — 
			 1997-98 225.90 306.16 — 
			 1996-97 224.50 213.21 — 
			 1995-96 199.30 134.45 — 
			 1994-95 192.40 74.20 — 
			  Notes: 1. The increase in administration costs over 3 years from April '06 is as a result of the extra £120 million costs associated with the Operational Improvement Plan. 2. We are unable to provide figures for 1993-94, as audited accounts were not published for that year and as such the information is not available. 3. Information from 1994-95 to 2005-06 is sourced from the Child Support Agency's published Annual Report and Accounts, and differ slightly from the published QSS which uses monthly figures, not subjected to yea-end adjustment. 4. In 2005-06, following national Audit Office advice, the Agency's accounting boundaries were changed to include Child Support Reform Programme costs in the Agency's annual accounts. The 2005-06 accounts and the 2004-05 comparatives were changed accordingly. In line with this policy the table below includes Child Support Reform costs from 1999-00. 5. The 2006-07 net administration costs and maintenance collections may be subject to change and will be confirmed when the audited accounts are published in July 2007. 6. The 2007-08 estimate for maintenance collections is consistent with the published Agency target to collect or arrange £970 million of maintenance outcomes. The residual £310 million in maintenance will be delivered via private arrangements outside of the Agency's collection service. 7. Total maintenance collected and arranged from 1994 to 2003 does not include maintenance direct. 8. Maintenance Direct figures are sourced from Table 19.5 of the Quarterly Statistical Supplement. Maintenance Direct information is only available from April 2003 onwards. 9. The amount of maintenance received is that collected via the CSA collection service. This includes both clerical and system payments. 10. Monthly amounts of maintenance collected will not sum to the financial year figures published in the Annual Accounts as they do not include end year adjustments. 11. The value of Maintenance Direct arrangements in place shows the value of the assessments that the Agency has made i.e. the recommended amount to be paid to the Parent With Care by the non-resident parent. This value is an estimate because it is not possible to calculate, for every day of the year, the value of Maintenance Direct arrangements in place at that point in time. However, it is possible to calculate the value of weekly Maintenance Direct arrangements in place at the end of each month and derive a full monthly estimate from that. 12. Money relating to Maintenance Direct arrangements is not collected directly by the Agency. As such, the arrangement in place is the best estimate of the money being paid by the Non-Resident Parent. 13. Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.

Children Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many liability orders the Child Support Agency  (a) applied for and  (b) obtained in each (i) year and (ii) quarter since 1997; how many of the original orders were inaccurate; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders the Child Support Agency (a) applied for and (b) obtained in each (i) year and (ii) quarter since 1997; how many of the original orders have been inaccurate; and if he will make a statement.
	Due to the arrangements for assigning a court hearing date, the Agency may make an application for a liability order during one reporting year which has a court date assigned for the next therefore I have given the granted liability orders for a year only.
	Information about the numbers of liability order granted is only available since March 1998. Table 1 attached, shows the information requested since April 1998. We do not routinely collate information with regard to civil enforcement processes on a quarterly basis, so this information is unavailable at this time.
	To ensure the Agency applies for an appropriate Liability Order, a number of management checks are undertaken prior to a Liability Order application being made, including the provision of an account audit. In a small percentage of cases the Agency may identify a case where a Liability Order has been granted but subsequently discovered an issue, which requires remedial action before further civil proceedings can be considered. These may be procedural steps, including dealing with new information received as well as numerical inaccuracies. This information is set out in the attached Table 2.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Numbers of Liability Orders granted in each year from April 1998 to January 2007 
			   Liability Orders granted 
			 April 1998-March 1999 2,033 
			 April 1999-March 2000 2,523 
			 April 2000-March 2001 1,755 
			 April 2001-March 2002 1,427 
			 April 2002-March 2003 2,383 
			 April 2003-March 2004 3,885 
			 April 2004-March 2005 *7,760 
			 April 2005-March 2006 *11,245 
			 February 2006-January 2007 *13,335 
			  Notes: 1. A liability order is a document obtained from the court showing that they legally recognise that the debt is owing. This is the same in both England and Wales and Scotland. This is required before the Agency can use litigation powers (Diligence in Scotland). 2. The figures marked with an asterix* are sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics. Prior to April 2004, the figures given were clerically collated and are actual figures, not subject to rounding. 3. Figures sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics are rounded to the nearest five. 4. The figures for 2006-07 are from February 2006 to January 2007 and these are the latest figures published available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Liability Orders—further Agency work required 
			  Quarterly period  Percentage 
			 April-June 2004 2.5 
			 July-September 2004 2.9 
			 October-December 2004 2.6 
			 January-March 2005 2.7 
			 April-June 2005 3.5 
			 July-September 2005 2.5 
			 October-December 2005 1.3 
			 January-March 2006 2.6 
			 April-June 2006 2.3 
			 July-September 2006 1.5 
			 October-December 2006 1.2 
			 January-March 2007 1.9 
			  Note: Although the software for recording data was introduced in 2003, robust information did not become available until April 2004 following remedial work by the Agency.

Children Support Agency: Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total staff numbers at the Child Support Agency were in each quarter since 1997; what he expects the total staff numbers at the agency to be in each quarter to 2010; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to an earlier response given to his Parliamentary Question 141934 and 141935, published in  Hansard on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2216W.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition the Child Support Agency uses of unfair and inappropriate when it decides not to recover debt owed by a non-resident parent.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what definition the Child Support Agency uses of unfair and inappropriate when it decides not to recover debt owed by a non-resident parent.
	The 1991 Child Support Act, (Section 29) gives the Agency a discretionary power in the collection of child support maintenance, although the Agency does not have the power to write off debt owed by non-resident parents. In cases where the Agency decides not to recover debt the Agency must show that this decision is reasonable (rather than inappropriate or unfair) taking into account the circumstances of each case.
	The Agency has issued guidance, for cases where there are exceptional circumstances and where the Agency would consider not collecting debt. The circumstances are not proscribed but do include, for example, terminal illness or death of a non-resident parent, parent with care or qualifying child, cases where the non-resident parent is in prison, hospital or residential care or where the parentage of the qualifying child is under dispute.
	Unless there is a good reason not to do so, every effort will be made to ensure the non-resident parent fulfills their duty to pay child maintenance.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of the £3.5 billion debt owed to parents with care which was due to official delay or error.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the £3.5 billion debt owed to Parents with Care which was due to official delay or error.
	The Agency is unable to identify how much, if any, of the gross debt balance of £3.5 billion has been caused by official delay in processing a maintenance application.
	In addition, if an official error is subsequently identified in a non-resident parent's assessment, any outstanding debt is reassessed and adjusted as necessary.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care were affected by a fully or partially non-compliant non-resident parent in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents with care were affected by either a fully or partially non compliant non resident parent in each year since 1997.
	The information that you have requested is only available in respect of cases rather than parents with care, a parent with care or non-resident parent may have more than one case. Information on fully and partially non-compliant cases is set out in the attached table.
	The first year of the Operational Improvement Plan focused on the reduction of the Agency's uncleared applications. The Agency has substantially reduced the number of uncleared applications, which are at their lowest level since comparable records began in May 1999. The second year of the Operational Improvement Plan, will focus on Enforcement which will include greater focus on improving case compliance.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  The volumes of nil and partially compliant cases with a positive liability: 1997 to 2007 
			  Quarter ending  Nil compliant  Partial compliant 
			 February 1997 115,500 57,600 
			 February 1998 116,100 63,100 
			 February 1999 137,000 78,000 
			 February 2000 144,100 82,100 
			 February 2001 131,600 85,700 
			 February 2002 119,600 77,400 
			 March 2003 107,400 88,900 
			 March 2004 123,200 86,900 
			 March 2005 145,200 98,500 
			 March 2006 148,900 129,000 
			 March 2007 170,600 142,400 
			  Notes: 1. Compliance of a case is measured over a three month period. If a case was open and classed as a collection service case at the end of the period, and within the period money was charged on the case but no money was collected, then the case is classed as nil compliant. If some, but not all, of the money charged was collected via the collection service, then the case is classed as partially compliant. If all of the money charged was collected via the collection service, then the case is classed as fully compliant. 2. Data as at end of March has been used from 2003 onwards. Data as at end of February has been used prior to this, as information for March is unavailable. 3. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deductions from earnings orders were  (a) applied for and  (b) successfully implemented by the Child Support Agency in each month since March 2003.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 25 June 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Lady with the information requested.

Jobcentres: Chard

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the environmental impact of closing the jobcentre in Chard; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 26 June 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the environmental impact resulting from the proposed closure of Chard Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Lesley Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying on her behalf as Acting Chief Executive.
	No specific environmental impact assessment has been undertaken. However the decision to consider Chard for potential closure has taken account of the likely additional travel requirements for both customers and staff. Consideration will be given to postal arrangements for customers who may experience particular difficulty with any future travel requirements.
	We are continuing to develop our nationwide network of Jobcentres, and to review and improve our services. Advances in technology and the increased availability of Contact Centre facilities mean that increasing numbers of customers, including employers, access our services via the Internet or telephone. This will result in a positive environmental impact as the necessity to travel to attend our offices is reduced.
	I hope this is helpful.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department has capped the level of contracted-out rebates for contracted-out appropriate personal pensions and money purchase schemes; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Age related rebates for contracted-out personal pension schemes and money purchase occupational schemes were introduced in April 1997. The details are in the Secretary of State's report of March 1996, which forms part of the "Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Review of Certain Contracting-out Terms, Cm. 3221" This approach to age related rebates has continued in subsequent rebate reviews.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what effect on costs to the public purse the Government have achieved from capping the age-related national insurance rebate to appropriate personal pension schemes for each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what savings are expected to result for the Exchequer from the decision to cap contracted-out rebates for personal pensions and money purchase occupational schemes  (a) at 7.4 per cent. rather than the previous cap level of 10.5 per cent. and  (b) at 7.4 per cent. rather than at the levels recommended by the Government Actuary in each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The effect on national insurance revenues arising from recent changes to age-related rebate rates is broadly neutral over the longer term.

New Deal

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average cost per participant was on the New Deal for young people in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what the average cost per participant was on the New Deal 25 plus in each year since 2001;
	(3)  what the average cost per participant was on the New Deal 50 plus in each year since 2001;
	(4)  what the average cost per participant was on the New Deal for disabled people in each year since 2001;
	(5)  what the average cost per participant was on the New Deal for lone parents in each year since 2001.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New Deal—average cost per participant 
			  £ 
			   New Deal for young people  New Deal 25 plus  New Deal for young people and New Deal plus( 1)  New Deal 50 plus( 2)  New Deal for lone parents  New Deal for disabled people 
			 2001-02 1,337 1,175 — — 80 299 
			 2002-03 1,311 1,435 — — 128 465 
			 2003-04 1,535 1,880 — (3)3,941 135 743 
			 2004-05 1,658 1,879 — (4)84 145 1,039 
			 2005-06 — — 1,289 (4)40 168 970 
			 (1 )There is no split currently available between New Deal for young people and New Deal 25 plus for 2005-06 (2.)Participant numbers for New Deal 50 plus are only available from January 2004. (3 )Calculations for New Deal 50 plus for 2003-04 are based on starts to the programme from January to March 2004 only. (4 )New Deal 50 plus costs for 2004-05 and 2005-06 were only incurred by those people who claimed the New Deal 50 plus in-work training grant.  Notes: 1. On 6 April 2003 the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit was replaced by the 50 plus element of the Working Tax Credit. For the period Jan-March 2004 some of those who were helped into work through New Deal 50 plus may still have been receiving the Employment Credit, which was paid for up to a year. Costs also included the New Deal 50 plus in-work training grant which some participants claimed after entering work through the programme. 2. New Deal 50 plus costs for 2004-05 and 2005-06 were only incurred by those people who claimed the New Deal 50 plus in-work training grant. 3. Costs are calculated on the total number of people participating and total spend on each programme, excluding administrative costs and include, where applicable, costs incurred in payments made to employers and Job Brokers. 4. Calculations are also based on all New Deal programme costs and allowances paid to participants apart from the 50 plus element of the Working Tax Credit, which is met by HMRC. As this is not included, New Deal 50 plus costs reduce considerably from 2004-05. 5. Following agreement with HM Treasury in 2002-03, ring fences were removed from New Deal. Calculations exclude administrative costs as it is no longer possible to identify the costs of administering the costs of each New Deal separately from the costs of other labour market activities. 6. Calculations include start-up costs. 7. Programme start dates are: New Deal for Young People: January 1998; New Deal 25 plus: July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents: October 1998; New Deal 50 plus: April 2000; New Deal for Disabled People: July 2001 (New Deal for Disabled People pilots ran from September 1998-June 2001). 8. Calculations are based on latest spend figures to March 2006 and New Deal programme start figures to March 2006.  Source: DWP Departmental Reports 2004-2005, Jobcentre Plus Accounts 2005-6. New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information Directorate.

New Deal Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been on the  (a) New Deal for young people,  (b) New Deal 25 plus,  (c) New Deal 50 plus,  (d) New Deal for disabled people and  (e) New Deal for lone parents (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times, (v) five times, (vi) six times, (vii) seven times, (viii) eight times, (ix) nine times and (x) 10 times.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New Deal 
			   Number of times participants have started 
			   Once only  T wice  Three times  Four times  Five times  Six times  Seven times  Eight times  Nine times  Ten times 
			 New Deal for Young People 847,740 231,260 72,840 19,360 3,580 390 30 0 0 0 
			 New Deal 25plus 490,190 129,970 45,330 14,920 3,620 500 40 10 0 0 
			 New Deal 50plus 79,330 1,570 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 New Deal for Disabled People 216,560 21,680 3,340 630 120 30 10 0   
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 516,950 159,270 49,780 15,520 4,580 1,410 380 110 30 10 
			  Notes:  1 Latest available information on starts to New Deal is to February 2007.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  3. Programme start dates are: New Deal for Young People: January 1998; New Deal 25 plus: July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents: October 1998; New Deal for Partners: April 1999; New Deal 50 plus: April 2000; New Deal for Disabled People: July 2001.  4. Data for starts to New Deal 50 plus are only available from January 2004.   Source:  New Deal Evaluation Database, Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he expects to be able to take between the publication of the initial report in the summer of 2007 on pension scheme assets held by schemes in wind-up with a deficiency of assets to protect those scheme assets and the publication of the final report.

James Purnell: The prospective assistance provided by the Financial Assistance scheme and the current work of the review into the use of relevant scheme assets should not affect the decisions that trustees take in relation to their scheme funds.
	It is not for the Government to offer advice to trustees on whether and when they should purchase annuities. Trustees must act in the best interest of their members and in accordance with scheme rules and their statutory obligations.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what survey work has been carried out to establish the retirement income replacement rate which individuals are prepared to fund by contributions from current salary in the UK.

James Plaskitt: No survey work provides information in exactly this form.
	The Pensions Commission estimated median desired replacement rates using information on individuals' current income and on the income individuals considered enough to live on in retirement. In addition the Commission also looked at actual replacement rates and levels of expenditure. Considering the evidence together they concluded that there could be no universal definition of pension adequacy, but used benchmark replacement rates of 80 per cent. of gross earnings for lowest earners, declining to 67 per cent. for median earners and to 50 per cent. for top earners to assess pension adequacy. (See Table 1)(1).
	(1) Pensions Commission (2004), Pensions Challenges and Choice: The First Report of the Pensions Commission, Chapter four.
	
		
			  Table 1. Adequacy thresholds 
			  Earnings  Target replacement rate (Gross) (Percentage) 
			 Less than £9,500 80 
			 £9,500-£17,499 70 
			 £17, 500-£24, 999 67 
			 £25,000-£39,999 60 
			 £40,000 plus 50 
			  Source: The first report of the Pensions Commission: Pensions, Challenges and Choices, Appendices, p. 169 
		
	
	Both the Pensions Commission and DWP have estimated the number of people who are saving enough to reach these benchmarks utilising evidence from more than one survey. DWP current estimates indicate that around seven million people are undersaving(2).
	(2) DWP (May 2006), Security in Retirement: towards a new pensions system, Appendix A.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many home visits have been carried out by the Pension Service in each year since 1997, broken down by type of visit and local area.

James Purnell: The information that is available for the area of East Sussex is in the following table. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with information on the remaining areas and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Home visits carried out by the Pension Service 
			   Nationally  East Sussex 
			 2004-05 549,369 — 
			 2005-06 954,359 — 
			 2006-07 897,702 9,687 
			  Notes: 1. All visits are 'Holistic Visits' so whatever the reason for referral a full benefit entitlement check is undertaken. 2. The Pension Service Local Service was created in April 2004. 3. There are occasions when a follow up visit is requested by the pension centre to clarify some aspects of the application; however these are not recorded separately. 4. The number of visits at a cluster level is held on the Local Service System (LSS). The East Sussex cluster figures for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06 are not available because of data protection issues which means customer data 18 months from the date the referral is cleared.  Source Local Service Management Information.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of the Pension Service's outbound telephone campaign.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Outbound calls from the DWP are not broken down by campaign.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Pension Service's  (a) method of home visits,  (b) outbound telephone campaign and  (c) strategy of identifying harder-to-reach customers by working with local partners on take-up of services.

James Purnell: The information that is available is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Effect of home visits, 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 Visits made 897,702 
			 Claims to various benefits (1)481,434 
			 (1) This includes claims made following Information Point appointments. There were 57,522 Information Point appointments during 2006-07.  Source: Local Service Management Information. 
		
	
	
		
			  Effect of the outbound telephone campaign, 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 Calls made 189,434 
			 Awards of Pension Credit 21,340 
			  Source: "Contacts by Channel" and "Management Dashboard" report 2006-07. 
		
	
	Joint Working Partnerships targeting harder-to-reach groups are currently being evaluated and the findings will be available in the autumn.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department has taken in conjunction with the financial assistance scheme (FAS) to raise the profile of the FAS among members of occupational schemes that come under its remit.

James Purnell: Since the inception of the financial assistance scheme (FAS), the main focus of our communications has been aimed at trustees and administrators in order to encourage them to apply for FAS and to supply the member data needed to make payments.
	We currently provide information for members via our website at www.dwp.gov.uk/fas and we have worked with trustees on a scheme specific basis to provide information for their updates to members about the progress of the winding up.
	We recognise the need to provide more clarity to members about the nature of FAS benefits, how they work and when they can expect payments. Lord McKenzie, announced in the Lords on 6 June that we are introducing arrangements so that, rather that relying on trustees to make applications on their behalf, individual scheme members who believe that they are eligible for payment can advise the FAS operational unit direct, which will then contact the scheme trustees to seek to arrange a payment.

Personal Accounts

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether  (a) Ministers,  (b) special advisers and  (c) officials in his Department briefed  Financial Times journalists on 13 June 2007 about the Government's plans on personal accounts; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: No  Financial Times journalists were briefed on 13 June 2007. There was regular communication between Ministers, special advisers and officials and our stakeholders, including journalists and other political parties, in the run up to the publication of our proposals on personal accounts.

State Second Pension

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on national insurance revenues of recent changes in the number of people contracted out of the state second pension.

James Purnell: The effect on national insurance revenues arising from recent changes in the number of people contracted out of the state second pension is broadly neutral over the longer term.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption: Foster Care

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of  (a) delays caused in adoption to fostered children going through the court process without a care order under section 31 of the Children's Act 1989 and  (b) the disruption in the care provided to such children caused by such delays; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of a child not being subject to a care order under section 31 of the Children's Act 1989 on the adoption process; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government's view is that delays in relation to the adoption of a child, whether or not the child is also the subject of care proceedings, are likely to be damaging and prejudicial to his/her welfare, to the extent that it may contribute to disruption. This is the case whether it arises from delays in processes that are the responsibility of local authorities, such as the operation of adoption panels, or those that arise in the family courts.

Cache Foundation Award in Caring for Children

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils at the end of key stage 4 were entered for a Cache Foundation Award in Caring for Children in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Children in Care: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were forcibly removed from their parents by social services in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: It would not be possible for local authority social services departments forcibly to remove a child of any age into their care in circumstances where parents do not consent to this. While social services departments and the police have powers to obtain emergency orders so that they can act immediately to protect a child, the Children Act 1989 does not permit local authorities to remove children from the care of their parents without referring the matter to a Court.
	The number of children who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March 2002 to 2006 is shown in the following table.
	'Children taken into care' are children who started to be looked after under the following legal statuses: interim or full care orders, and police protection or emergency protection or child assessment orders. They exclude children freed for adoption or for whom a placement order was granted, they exclude children under voluntary accommodation and they also exclude children under youth justice legal statuses.
	
		
			  Looked after children taken into care during the years ending 31 March 2002 to 2006( 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) 
			  Number 
			  ( 3) 2002 ( 3) 2003 ( 2) 2004 ( 2) 2005 ( 2) 2006 
			  England 7,400 8,100 7,500 7,700 7,600 
			   
			  London 1,310 1,740 1,540 1,550 1,570 
			  Inner London 660 920 860 790 810 
			 Camden 85 95 85 60 75 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Hackney 20 45 70 65 45 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 50 70 40 35 45 
			 Haringey 75 120 100 70 90 
			 Islington 50 45 55 45 60 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 35 30 45 30 30 
			 Lambeth 50 45 65 80 65 
			 Lewisham 40 65 85 80 65 
			 Newham 75 140 85 60 100 
			 Southwark 70 60 75 90 85 
			 Tower Hamlets 45 40 60 85 75 
			 Wandsworth 30 70 60 50 35 
			 Westminster 35 95 40 40 45 
			   
			  Outer London 650 820 680 770 760 
			 Barking and Dagenham 45 80 55 60 40 
			 Barnet 45 80 65 60 55 
			 Bexley 40 15 10 25 25 
			 Brent 40 50 65 55 70 
			 Bromley 30 50 55 35 20 
			 Croydon 25 45 30 50 40 
			 Ealing 45 70 55 75 70 
			 Enfield 45 75 40 60 45 
			 Greenwich 95 75 65 70 85 
			 Harrow 10 20 20 30 15 
			 Havering 5 20 20 20 35 
			 Hillingdon 15 20 30 40 55 
			 Hounslow 45 55 60 50 85 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 10 5 10 15 10 
			 Merton 40 35 15 30 15 
			 Redbridge 35 30 15 15 20 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 5 15 10 15 10 
			 Sutton 15 10 10 35 15 
			 Waltham Forest 50 70 40 30 50 
			 (1 )Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (2 )Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 covered all looked after children. (3 )Figures are taken from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. (4 )Only the first occasion on which a child was taken into care in the year has been counted. (5 )"Children taken into care" are children who started to be looked after under the following legal statuses: interim or full care orders, and police protection or emergency protection or child assessment orders. They exclude children freed for adoption or for whom a placement order was granted, they exclude children under voluntary accommodation and they also exclude children under youth justice legal statuses. (6 )Historical figures may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (7 )To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise. At local authority level, data are rounded to the nearest 5 and at region level, to the nearest 10. Where the number was 5 or less (other than 0) this has been suppressed and replaced with a hyphen (-).

Children: Protection

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on co-operation between European Union countries on preventing sex offenders from gaining employment with children, with particular reference to the exchange of information on criminal records.

Joan Ryan: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Home Office is leading UK negotiations within the EU to enhance the contents and format of the criminal records which are exchanged.
	A framework decision has recently been agreed under which member states will be obliged to inform other member states of all criminal convictions imposed against their nationals as soon as possible. These provisions, which will improve and speed up existing exchange systems, will ensure that each member state holds a complete criminal record for its nationals, containing all convictions imposed by EU member states. Disqualifications arising from criminal convictions must also be exchanged where they are recorded in the criminal record. This will facilitate the taking into account of the final judgments of the courts of other member states in the course of new criminal proceedings and in employment vetting in the state of nationality.
	A new Vetting and Barring scheme is being introduced under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 which will focus on providing the maximum possible protection for children and vulnerable adults from possible harm from unsuitable persons in the workplace.
	There will be a further opportunity to look at these issues as part of the review of criminality information currently underway.

Children: Protection

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received on the ability of sex offenders in the European Union to move between countries and take up employment with children.

Joan Ryan: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Home Office is leading UK negotiations within the EU to enhance the contents and format of the criminal records which are exchanged.
	I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave in response to her question on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1781W.
	There have been no representations on the ability of sex offenders in the European Union to move between countries and take up employment with children to the Home Office.

City Academies: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) GCSE and  (b) GCSE equivalent examination results for each city academy were in 2006; how many pupils were entered for each subject; and how many achieved each grade, broken down by subject.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Class Sizes: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of classes in the West Chelmsford area for five to seven year olds exceed 30 pupils in size.

Jim Knight: The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 places a duty on local authorities and schools to limit the size of infant classes for five, six, and seven year olds taught by one teacher to 30 or fewer pupils. The Education (Infant Class Sizes) Regulations 1998 allow the limit of 30 to be exceeded in limited circumstances. In prescribed circumstances, this allows children to be treated as "excepted pupils" for the purposes of ascertaining whether or not the class size limit has been exceeded.
	As at January 2007 there was one infant class in West Chelmsford constituency with 31 pupils. However, this class did contain one excepted pupil making the class lawfully large.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 117W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, what the  (a) start date and  (b) end date was of each review; and on what date a final report was produced for each.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

Departments: Families Unit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Minister has responsibility for the Families Unit; what its current annual budget is; how many staff it employs; what its aims are; and which organisations are the unit's strategic partners.

Parmjit Dhanda: Families Unit is part of the DfES Schools Directorate. It seeks to promote the importance of the family, including support to parents, across national and local government policy development. It supports the Parents Strategy Programme—a sub-programme of the Every Child Matters: Change for Children Programme—which brings together the main areas of DfES work on parents. It has 22.6 staff and a budget in 2007-08 of £105 million. Staff in the Unit work with a wide range of strategic partners across the parenting and children services sector including: 2as1, AFCS, Coram Family, Families Need Fathers, Family Planning Association, Fathers Direct, Family Welfare Association, Marriage Care, National Association of Children's Information Services, National Children's Bureau, National Family and Parenting Institute, One Parent Families/Gingerbread, One Plus One, Opportunity Links, Project for Advocacy, Counselling and Education, Parenting UK, Parentline Plus, Relate, Safe Ground, Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationship, The Place2Be, Time for Families, Training and Development Agency.
	I lead joint work to secure coherence in, and drive forward, the Department's policies in relation to parents and families, working with other Ministers, in particular, the Minister for Schools and 14-19 Learners and the Minister for Children, Young People and Families.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Parmjit Dhanda: The concordats between my Department and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, and the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland, are publicly available via the DfES website:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/concordat/index.shtml.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is set out as follows and is at 1 April for each of the last three years.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2005 2.4 
			 2006 2.6 
			 2007 3.8

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information is set out in the following tables. All numbers and percentages relate to permanent staff.
	
		
			  2004 
			   Numbers recruited  Percentage of total recruits 
			 55 and over 4 3 
			 60 and over 2 1.5 
		
	
	
		
			  2005 
			   Numbers recruited  Percentage of total recruits 
			 55 and over 11 6 
			 60 and over 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			  2006 
			   Numbers recruited  Percentage of total recruits 
			 55 and over 3 3 
			 60 and over 1 1

Faith Schools: Abuse

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to prevent the verbal or physical abuse of children in faith-based learning environments before the implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Scheme in 2008.

Parmjit Dhanda: Safeguarding children in all communities is a top priority for this Government.
	No community supports the physical, sexual or psychological abuse of children. And wherever we see abuse, in whatever context, we need to challenge it. Abuse in any community will not be tolerated. "Working Together to Safeguard Children" was recently updated and sets out clearly how individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This guidance must be followed wherever there is concern about the welfare of a child. Local Safeguarding Children Boards have an important role to play in engaging with organisations in their area, including key faith groups, with a view to safeguarding all children.
	The DFES recognises the significant contribution over a great number of years that many communities make towards the education of our children, particularly children from minority ethnic backgrounds, through supplementary school initiatives.
	In recognition of the many achievements of the supplementary and mother tongue school sector, DFES recently announced the establishment of a new National Resource Centre (NRC) to support and promote supplementary schools in England. The centre jointly funded by the Department and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and managed by ContinYou, will support the development of more and better supplementary schools through, in particular, the extended schools and specialist schools programme, and will help to spread good practice in all areas, including safeguarding children.

Foster Care

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many foster family arrangements in all local authorities  (a) remained as a stable family unit and  (b) have broken down with the children returning to care facilities in the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: At 31 March 2006, 23,600 children looked after by a local authority had been in the same foster care placement for more than 365 days.
	During the year ending 31 March 2006, 15,800 children looked after by a local authority moved to another placement from a foster care placement. This figure excludes children who return to be placed with their parents.

Foster Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are in private foster care arrangements in England.

Parmjit Dhanda: The number of children who were in private fostering arrangements notified to local authorities in England at 31 March 2006 was 980.

Free School Meals

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils attending the 200 highest performing comprehensive schools by unweighted attainment of five or more A*-C grade GCSEs, are in receipt of free school meals.

Jim Knight: The information for all schools has been placed in the Library.

GCE A-level

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students at  (a) state comprehensive schools,  (b) state grammar schools,  (c) state secondary modern schools,  (d) other state secondary schools,  (e) further education colleges,  (f) state sixth form colleges and  (g) independent schools and colleges were taking at least two A-levels in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCE A-level

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of pupils from  (a) independent,  (b) maintained and  (c) grammar schools received a grade A in two or more of mathematics, further mathematics, physics, chemistry, French, German and Spanish A-levels in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of pupils from  (a) independent,  (b) maintained and  (c) grammar schools received three or more A grades at A-level in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCE A-level: Languages

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils took A-levels in  (a) French,  (b) German,  (c) Italian,  (d) Spanish and  (e) Russian in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: The figures requested are in the following table.
	
		
			  GCE A-level entries in selected languages by 16 to 18-year-old( 1)  candidates,  all schools and colleges, 1999/2000 to 2005/ 06 
			   French  German  Italian  Spanish  Russian 
			 2000 15,240 7,581 585 4,516 490 
			 2001 15,393 7,607 565 4,501 442 
			 2002 13,599 6,367 582 4,430 415 
			 2003 12,904 6,068 531 4,504 485 
			 2004 12,480 5,643 516 4,650 451 
			 2005 11,963 5,238 508 4,930 547 
			 2006 12,190 5,534 577 5,202 522 
			 (1) Age at start of academic year (at previous 31 August).

GCSE: Gender

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of  (a) girls and  (b) boys in maintained schools were awarded (i) 5 A*-C at GCSE and (ii) 5 A*-C at GCSE including mathematics and English in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by (A) parliamentary constituency, (B) local education authority and (C) region.

Jim Knight: holding answer 18 June 2007
	Information on the performance of pupils in GCSE examinations is available on the Department's website at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml.
	This provides information on the achievement of 5 A*-C grades and 5 A*-C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE at local authority and regional level, split by gender.
	The proportion of pupils achieving 5 grades A*-C at constituency level is available at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea/
	This is not split by gender. Figures for the proportion of pupils achieving 5 A*- C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics at constituency level can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Home Education: Finance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to fund and support children receiving home education.

Jim Knight: The Government believe that school is the best educational setting for most children. However, we respect the right of parents to choose education at home for their children. There is no Government funding available to support home education, nor any plans to change current arrangements. On 8 May we published draft guidelines for consultation which set out how local authorities can best support home educating parents.

National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have joined the National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth since July 2006.

Jim Knight: 34,436 pupils have joined the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth since July 2006.

Primary Education: Teaching Methods

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 498W, on primary education: teaching methods, what information his Department collects on personalised learning in primary schools in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics.

Jim Knight: As defined in the report of the Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review Group, personalised learning means taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each child and young person's learning, in order that all are able to progress, achieve and participate.
	Many schools and teachers have tailored curriculum and teaching methods to meet the needs of children and young people with great success for many years. What is new is our drive to make the best practices universal across all schools, particularly for children whose needs can be the most challenging to meet. Personalised learning can therefore be described as effective day-to-day teaching and learning which is assessment-centred and which enables each learner to engage and 'own' their own learning. It can also encompass a wide range of more specific practices, such as Assessment for Learning and small group and one-to-one work with pupils.
	The success of personalising teaching and learning will therefore be measured in improvements in the attainment of all pupils—especially in English and maths—in narrowing the gaps between different groups and in all reports of the quality of teaching and learning. We do not gather information on personalised learning as a separate programme or initiative, but Ofsted inspection reports, attainment data, evaluation of the 'Making Good Progress' pilots and a wide range of information sources can be used to build up a picture of personalised learning in both primary and secondary schools.

Procedures Relating to Soham Murders Inquiry

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to introduce a central scheme pursuant to recommendation nineteen of the Bichard Inquiry Report.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	A central vetting scheme created to deliver recommendation 19 of the Bichard Inquiry Report will be launched in autumn 2008.
	Full information on the progress of the development of this new scheme is available in the Fourth Progress Report on the Bichard Inquiry Recommendations (pages 45 to 49 inclusive) published by the Home Office in May 2007.

Pupils: Intimidation

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will bring forward plans to carry out research to assess best practice in  (a) preventing and changing bullying behaviour and  (b) supporting those being bullied in schools.

Jim Knight: As a result of the recent Education and Skills Committee enquiry into bullying, and subsequent report, and an independent evaluation of the Department's work with the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), the Department is in the process of assessing its overall strategy of work to identify upcoming priorities and will shortly be competitively tendering for elements of work to be carried out in the next financial year. One of these elements will be research into bullying. This will look at what strategies are most effective in tackling bullying.
	The Department currently commissions Goldsmiths College London, through the ABA, to provide research aligned with policy needs. In the last financial year, the projects undertaken on behalf of the Department included reviews of disability and bullying and on bullying in the community. Research projects this year will look at how schools can best support young people displaying bullying behaviours; young people at risk of anti-social behaviour; and bullying of looked-after children. The Department has also undertaken research with young people on the subject of cyberbullying to inform and develop key, relevant messages for our planned digital information campaign.

Pupils: Intimidation

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will bring forward plans to audit how different schools across the country respond to bullying in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department currently has no plans to collect statistical data from schools or conduct a formal audit on how schools respond to bullying. As stated in the Department's recent response to the Education and Skills Committee report on bullying, there are logistical difficulties involved in asking schools to record incidents of bullying and their responses to incidents. In particular, there are issues around consistency of definition and how bullying might be reported if it continues over a significant period of time. There is also a question of how we might interpret an increase in reported incidents, which might occur as the result of an improved anti-bullying policy and new focus on openness. These complications could lead to more bureaucracy and greater workload for schools.
	The Department will continue to recommend in its revised anti-bullying guidance that schools record incidents of bullying and report the statistics to their local authority. The guidance will further advise that the LA should analyse the information gathered from schools to identify any issues of particular concern. This will enable the authority to be better informed in the development of appropriate strategies to tackle bullying across its area. The data will also enable LAs to support and challenge schools in their duties to promote the welfare of pupils.
	In addition, the forthcoming "Tellus 2" survey should give us more comprehensive data on young people's experiences of bullying in schools. It will be an annual survey (starting this year), covering all LAs. Data will be considered by Ofsted in their annual performance assessment (APA) of each LA's services, and could lead to Ofsted looking more closely at anti-bullying practices in a particular authority.
	We are currently looking at how we might use data derived from the survey to inform future policy development. We are also working with the National Strategies to undertake some localised auditing of how schools deal with bullying. The National Strategies are identifying secondary schools with weak or ineffective anti-bullying policies and practice. Regional advisers and local authority consultants will provide support and challenge to these schools, working with them to embed good practice, as well as development of appropriate intervention strategies at both staff and pupil level. Progress on this work will be monitored and reported to the Department on a regular basis.

School Meals: Standards

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have achieved a Level 1 qualification in Providing a Healthier School Meal Service in each year since it was introduced.

Parmjit Dhanda: It is estimated that the Vocationally Related Qualification (VRQ) "Providing Healthier School Meals Service" has been obtained by 4,405 candidates since its introduction in September 2005. This represents 1,285 candidates in the academic year September 2005-August 2006 and 3,120 candidates so far in the present academic year (September 2006-mid June 2007).

Schools: Counselling

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much will be spent on providing independent school-based counselling services for children and young people in each of the next three years;
	(2)  if he will bring forward plans for a comprehensive national independent school-based counselling service for children and young people who need to access it;
	(3)  how many children in England have access to independent school-based counselling services.

Parmjit Dhanda: We believe that individual schools are best placed to decide the arrangements which should be put in place to meet the needs of their pupils; if a school decides to provide a counselling service, it is free to choose an external provider or directly to provide the service on an 'in-house' basis. The Department does not collect data on the amount spent on independent school-based counselling services or on the number of children who have access to such services.
	There are already many alternative sources of help for pupils experiencing difficulties within and outside school, including learning mentors, Connexions personal advisers and Behaviour and Education Support Teams (BESTs). They can all help pupils tackle problems in schools (e.g. bullying, poor attendance) and they can provide young people with access to specialist services that treat problems such as anxiety, depression, eating problems, drug addiction and family breakdown.
	Supporting the psychological well being and mental health of pupils is already a key component of school based programmes such as the National Healthy Schools programme and social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL). Through the development of comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) we are seeing increasing numbers of CAMHS teams working in more effective and innovative ways with their local schools and extended schools.

Schools: Disability Aids

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many text books are available in electronic form to enable schools to convert them to Braille; and what plans he has to make more text books available to schools in electronic form;
	(2)  what plans he has to make sheet music printed in Braille available in schools.

Parmjit Dhanda: Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires schools and local authorities to plan to improve access to the curriculum and written materials for disabled pupils over time. This includes all National Curriculum taught subjects, such as music.
	With regard to the availability of text books and materials in electronic format for schools, I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 721W, to my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Lyn Brown).

Schools: Languages

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools in England teach non-European modern languages to  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level standard.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not held.

Schools: Sports

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on  (a) the provision of sport equipment,  (b) the training of teachers in sports-related activities and  (c) the recruitment of coaches to provide sports lessons in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Data relating to the amount of money which schools spend on sports equipment and the recruitment of coaches to provide sports lessons in schools are not collected centrally.
	The PE and school sport professional development programme, part of the National School Sport Strategy, has been running since 2003 and aims to raise the quality of teaching and learning in PE and school sport for all pupils. Over 156,000 training places have been taken up on the programme since it began. Funding for the five years that the professional development programme has been running is as follows:
	
		
			   Programme funding (£) 
			 2003/04 2,000,000 
			 2004/05 6,000,000 
			 2005/06 10,000,000 
			 2006/07 3,100,000 
			 2007/08 3,000,000

Secondary Education: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the allocation to each secondary school in West Lancashire constituency was for extended schools development in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not hold information on how much funding each secondary school in West Lancashire constituency was allocated for extended schools development in either 2006-07 or 2007-08, and the information requested can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	The Government have allocated a total of £384 million to local authorities in England over the period 2006-08 to support the development of extended schools. The Department for Education and Skills encourages all local authorities to devolve their extended schools funding to their schools. This should be done in line with their plan for rolling out extended schools which they will have drawn up in discussion with all their schools. Lancashire has received £3,531,061 in 2006-07 and £4,515,291 in 2007-08. We do not break down funding by parliamentary constituency.
	In addition to this, schools are able to use their school standards grant to support the development of extended services. This is a wide-ranging grant that schools can use for any purpose of the school and which from 2006-07 can also be used for extended school provision. It is entirely for the school to decide how they use this funding depending on their particular priorities.
	To date, good progress is being made in Lancashire towards the Government's aim of all schools providing access to extended services by 2010. Thus far, 66 schools in Lancashire are providing access to the full range of extended services of which 11 are secondary schools.

Special Educational Needs: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children aged five to 16 attending schools in the Ribble Valley are registered with a statement of special educational needs.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  All schools: number and percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN) ( 1,2) as at January 2007  Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency 
			   Pupils with statements of SEN 
			   Pupils aged ( 3) : 
			   Under 5  5 to 10  11 to 15  16 and over  Total aged 5 to 15  Total all ages 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 Maintained Mainstream Schools (6)— 0.8 136 1.9 170 2.1 (5)— (5)— 306 2.0 318 1.9 
			 Maintained Special Schools 7 100.0 26 100.0 27 100.0 0 318 53 100.0 60 100.0 
			 Non-maintained Special (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— 
			 Pupil Referral Units (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— 
			 CTCs and Academies (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— (7)— 
			 Independent Schools n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 7 0.5 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Age as at 31 August 2006. (4) The number of pupils with statements of SEN expressed as a percentage of all pupils in the same age group attending the same type of school. (5) 1 or 2 pupils (6 )Secondary suppression, to prevent disclosure of 1 or 2 pupils (7 )Not applicable, no schools of this type or no pupils in this age range  Source:  School Census

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Bridgend

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of antisocial behaviour there were in Bridgend constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not hold records of incidents of antisocial behaviour.
	Individual police forces, local authorities and housing associations as well as other bodies may keep records of antisocial behaviour that is reported to them, but these figures are not collated centrally.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders: Biometrics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he became aware that individuals subject to control orders cannot have their fingerprints and DNA taken by the police.

Tony McNulty: It is inaccurate to say the police cannot take fingerprints or DNA from individuals on control orders. Section 1 (3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 allows for the imposition of any obligations that the Secretary of State or the court considers necessary for purposes connected with preventing or restricting involvement by that individual in terrorism-related activity. The Government could therefore make the provision of fingerprints or DNA an obligation under a control order, if it was considered necessary and proportionate to do so. Moreover, powers to take fingerprints are governed by other legislation, such as PACE. If, for example, an individual committed an offence while subject to a control order, fingerprints and DNA could be taken in the usual way.
	The proposal for the forthcoming Counter-Terrorism Bill is to provide equivalent powers after a control order is served as currently apply when arrests are made under the Terrorism Act 2000 or the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. This will provide the same police powers to retain, store and use the DNA and fingerprints of individuals on control orders and will mean that the procedures and safeguards that generally apply, also apply in control order cases.

Asylum

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1351W, on asylum, when he expects to be able to say how many asylum seekers will be dispersed and to which boroughs.

Liam Byrne: In the reply of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1351W, I advised that a review of cases would be undertaken to determine whether there were circumstances which required the continued provision of accommodation in London.
	There are approximately 2,000(1) cases supported in the London area under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Reviews are now being undertaken of each of these cases to determine where they had their original support provided and if they have any special reason for remaining in London. Our current intention is to complete the review of each case by the 31 October 2007. It will only be after these reviews have been completed that we will be able to quantify the number of moves and to which local authorities they will be dispersed.
	(1) This information is based on internal management information, and as such, is not published within the official statistics. Information is provisional and subject to change.

Asylum: Afghanistan

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Afghan asylum seekers cited membership of the Taliban as grounds for  (a) claiming asylum and  (b) it being unsafe for them to return to Afghanistan in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Information about an applicant's reasons for claiming asylum is not collected centrally. The requested information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records
	Information on asylum applications, initial decisions, appeals and removals for nationals of Afghanistan are published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Bicycles: Theft

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) sentenced for bicycle thefts in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data extracted from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of people proceeded against and sentenced for theft of a pedal cycle in England and Wales from 2001 to 2005 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons prosecuted at magistrates' courts and sentenced at all courts for bicycle theft, England and Wales, 2001 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   Proceeded against  Sentenced 
			 2001 1,349 809 
			 2002 1,262 799 
			 2003 1,112 678 
			 2004 1,011 691 
			 2005 1,152 861 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: RDS-OCJR, Office For Criminal Justice Reform

Demonstrations: Whitehall

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which organisations applied to mount protests in Whitehall on the afternoon of 15 June 2007; when the applications were  (a) made and  (b) approved; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) Metropolitan and  (b) British Transport Police officers were deployed to police the protests in Whitehall on 15 June 2007; what operational instructions they were given to assist the public in accessing Whitehall and public transport; and what comments and complaints by members of the public were noted by police officers during the operation;
	(3)  when Transport for London was informed of the protests taking place in Whitehall on 15 June; and what operational instructions or guidance were given to Transport for London ahead of the organised protests in order to minimise disruption to the travelling public;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the level of disruption to traffic, public transport and the flow of pedestrians during the protests in Whitehall on the afternoon of 15 June 2007;
	(5)  what monitoring was undertaken of the individual participants in the protests held on 15 June in Whitehall; what assessment he has made of the nature of the protest placards in terms of relevant statutory restrictions on inciteful language; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The policing of demonstrations in Whitehall is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis. I have asked the Metropolitan police to collate the information requested by the hon. Gentleman. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when that information is available.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The expenditure in the Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement cards and  (c) fuel cards for the last three calendar years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Government procurement card  Travel and expense cards  Fuel cards 
			 2004 2,254,880 0 101,608 
			 2005 11,834,369 158,750 558,156 
			 2006 21,779,394 1,277,283 651,100 
		
	
	Travel and expenses cards were introduced in 2005 on a trial basis. Fuel card figures for 2004 relate only to the Arval contract which commenced that year. Figures for the previous contract could be obtained only at disproportionate cost because of changes in the accounting systems and organisational arrangements.
	The Department has adopted OGCbuying.solutions pre-tendered national frameworks for the Government Procurement Card (GPC) and Government Fuel Card facilities in line with best practice. GPC is used for the consolidation of prompt and efficient payment of goods and services.
	Arval Fuel Cards are available for any civil servant who need to put fuel in official vehicles on a regular basis The Travel and Expense (T&E) Cards are available to any civil servant in the Home Office who is called upon to travel regularly and would otherwise submit claims for reimbursement of personal expenses.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Liam Byrne: We do not have a Concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive. The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive. These are contained in Command Paper 5240 and published by the Ministry of Justice at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/mou.htm.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Where it is available, the information requested is recorded in the following table.
	
		
			   Amount paid (£)  Number paid  Total staff (headcount)  Percentage of total work force  Single highest payment (£) 
			 2002-03 2,067,878 3,388 18,190 18.6 n/a 
			 2003-04 2,919,953 4,082 20,994 19.4 n/a 
			 2004-05 3,459,397 4,710 24,081 19.6 15,000 
			 2005-06 3,612,916 5,014 25,343 19.8 15,000 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	The information provided is subject to limitations. Comprehensive data for 2001-02 are not available or can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for appraisal-related bonus payments are included only for Home Office HQ and Border and Immigration Agency (BIA). Data for the public sector Prison Service are excluded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Identity and Passport Agency (IPS) does not run an appraisal-related bonus scheme. Data recorded for performance appraisal payments relate to the previous reporting year and not the financial year in which the bonuses themselves were paid.
	Data for special bonus payments are included only for the senior civil service (for the whole Department and its agencies) and IPS for 2004-05 and 2005-06 for certain bonuses where information is available. Staffing data cover those in Home Office HQ, BIA and all senior civil servants in the Department and its agencies. For 2004-05 and 2005-06, IPS staff are included. Information for 2006-07 is currently unavailable: bonuses relating to this period will be paid with the 2007 pay award later in the year.
	The highest payments in each year were made to the senior civil service following recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. Figures cannot be provided for 2002-03 and 2003-04 as they represented the highest paid amount to an individual and it is not departmental practice to provide information that could be attributed to individual members of staff.
	Within the Home Office and its agencies there are separate arrangements for awarding bonuses. Staff below the senior civil service may receive annual, appraisal-related awards where their objectives were exceeded and overall effectiveness was significantly above the standards agreed for the post. Examples include demonstrating the ability and willingness to take on new and additional work or consistently exceeding key objectives that have been set. Special bonuses will be awarded for exceptional, specific work such as delivering key tasks in particularly challenging and demanding circumstances.
	Senior civil service bonuses reward, provide incentives for, in-year delivery of key results. Senior civil servants can be awarded bonuses as set out in the Senior Salaries Review Body report No. 62.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the uncompleted research paper IND Customer Survey.

John Reid: The work carried out as part of the IND customer survey was undertaken by MORI during the period February-April 2002. The results of this work were used internally by the Department but were not placed into a final published report. Its cost was estimated to be £60,000.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the unpublished research paper Dispersal: Facilitating Effectiveness and Efficiency.

John Reid: The work carried out by contractors as part of the report into Dispersal: Facilitating Effectiveness and Efficiency took place in the period September 2001 to September 2002. This work was used internally but not placed into a final published report, although it has now been released under the Freedom of Information Act. The cost of this work was estimated to be £137,000.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff surveys his Department has undertaken in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Liam Byrne: Home Office Headquarters and the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) have not conducted a staff survey since 2005.
	The Criminal Records Bureau conducted one staff survey in 2006 at a cost of £24,120.
	Identity and Passport Service conducted one staff survey in April/May this year at a cost of £65,823.
	HM Prison Service conducted one staff survey in November/December 2006 at a cost of £25,000.

Departments: Travel

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on first class travel in each year since 2004.

John Reid: The Department's accounting system does not hold information on expenditure on first class travel separately. A complete run of such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department expects all official travel to be carried out by the most efficient and economic means available, taking into account the cost of travel and subsistence, savings in official time, management benefit, and the needs of staff with disabilities.

Domestic Violence: Police Cautions

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of cautions in domestic violence cases usually defined by prosecutors as common assault.

Vernon Coaker: There is not a specific indicator of the effectiveness of the use of cautions in domestic violence cases. However, our view is that cautions are generally not a suitable alternative to charging in cases of domestic violence. They are only used in cases where, with due consideration to all of the evidence and the relevant charging criteria, there is no other alternative.

Entry Clearances

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain received before 31 December 2006 have not yet been determined; what the principal reasons are for delay in such cases; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In respect of cases involving unresolved asylum claims, in accordance with information provided to the Home Affairs Committee on 19 February 2007 by the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, periodic progress updates will be provided.
	In respect of non-asylum cases, as of 31 May 2007 there are about 17,600 outstanding non-asylum indefinite leave to remain applications that were received in the Border and Immigration Agency prior to 31 December 2006. These applications include those submitted under a range of immigration categories.
	On the whole, these cases are not straightforward and require additional consideration. The aforementioned data are not provided under National Statistics protocols. They have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Harmondsworth Detention Centre

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of the damage to Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre during the disturbances on 29 November.

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the repairs and refurbishment of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) was following the fire earlier this year; and whether the centre is planned to remain in use as an IRC.

John Reid: An initial independent review of the condition of Harmondsworth IRC has estimated that the sum of £7 million plus VAT will be required to fully repair the damage to the Centre 'as built'.
	The Centre is fully insured for riot and material damage and business interruption cover. The damage to the Centre forms part of the total claim and is fully covered by insurance minus the deductible (policy excess).

Hunting

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what his policy is on the enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004;
	(2)  what recent meetings he has held with  (a) Chief Police Officers,  (b) the Secretary of State for Justice,  (c) the Crown Prosecution Service and  (d) others on the enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004.

Vernon Coaker: The Government are fully committed to enforcing the hunting ban. The Hunting Act is discussed as appropriate in meetings which the Home Office has with the police, prosecuting authorities, other Government Departments and other interested stakeholders.

Immigrants: Interpreters

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of interpreters for immigration services at St Judes, Plymouth in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 June 2007
	The Border and Immigration Agency only conducts interviews in that area in the course of operational enforcement visits or when visiting dispersed asylum seekers.
	The information requested could, therefore, only be provided as a result of examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost, and would as a result of the use of telephone services still be incomplete.

Immigration Controls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received on the proposed new points-based system of immigration from community groups who will be affected.

Liam Byrne: As part of the consultation for the points-based system, my Department has conducted formal research and face to face engagement with individuals and community group representatives across industry and other sectors. A total of 517 written responses were received. We continue to engage with groups representative of those affected by the points-based system. Informal consultation continues at a national regional level as we continue to develop the points-based system ahead of roll out.

Immigration: Females

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to case workers on granting leave to remain to vulnerable women who have been  (a) trafficked from and  (b) raped in their country of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Where a female victim of trafficking or rape claims to fear persecution we will carefully and sensitively consider the application on its individual merits under the UK's obligations to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. Rape and trafficking are forms of harm which may constitute a form of persecution. This is specifically referred to in the guidance given to case workers. Where a woman is able to demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution, she will be granted protection. Guidance for decision makers on considering asylum and human rights claims and granting leave is provided in Assessing the Claim, Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave asylum instructions, which can be found on the Border and Immigration Agency website at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/asylumpolicyinstructions/

Immigration: Romania

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many expert level meetings took place between his Department's officials and the  (a) Romanian National police and  (b) Romanian Immigration Service in the last 12 months.

Joan Ryan: No central records are kept of such meetings, but they will take place frequently and routinely, both on a bilateral and a multilateral basis.

National Black Police Association: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Department expects to complete its analysis of the auditor's final report on funding for the National Black Police Association; if he will place copies of the auditor's final report in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 June 2007
	The Home Office auditor's final report has been analysed resulting in 20 separate recommendations. It would be inappropriate to make a statement at this time, as the matter remains ongoing.
	Home Office audit reports are internal documents and not for publication because they are part of Home Office business and are commercially sensitive.

Offenders: Deportation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals were successfully deported due to committal of a criminal offence in the UK following completion of their prison term in each of the last five years.

John Reid: On 14 June the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to provide the most recent information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. In this letter the director reported that 2784 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed in the financial year 2006-07. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.
	Statistics on the deportation of foreign nationals were last published in 2002. This data are available through the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.archive2.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm60/6053/6053.htm.
	Published information on persons removed as a result of deportation action has not been available from 2003 onwards due to data quality issues. The Border and Immigration Agency is putting in place new systems to improve its data collection systems for the future in this area.

Off-Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the implementation of the Off-Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill if enacted in its current form;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the likely implications for police forces of implementation of the Off-Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill if enacted in its current form; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Officials in my Department have discussed the Off-Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill, with colleagues in ACPO as well as other Government Departments. In particular, Home Office discussions have focused on any potential impact to the police following implementation if enacted in its current form.
	It is difficult to say with great certainty what impact such a Bill would have in practice, as an assessment of non-compliance has not been made. However initial estimates would suggest that additional burdens on the police would be inevitable and costly. ACPO have estimated that at a minimum for ad-hoc enforcement which does not include costs to the Crown Prosecution Service or HMCS, could be in the region of £50 million over three years, based on investigating approximately 300,000 vehicles a year. This does not include the costs of mounting an enforcement operation, but is based on the time it would take an officer to deal with the offence, such as dealing with the offender, arranging recovery of the vehicle and supervising the event. It also includes any necessary paperwork and officer time to prepare for court if that is applicable.
	Without a full and proper assessment of a registration scheme and its likely impact on the police and given that there is a range of existing legislation available to the police to deal with this nuisance which is effective and being used, the Home Office strongly opposes the introduction of this particular private Member's Bill.

Passports: Fees and Charges

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of a passport was in each of the last 10 years; and what the reason was for each change.

Joan Ryan: The following table shows the fee for a standard passport at the end of each year:
	
		
			   £ 
			 1997 18 
			 1998 21 
			 1999 28 
			 2000 28 
			 2001 28 
			 2002 30 
			 2003 42 
			 2004 42 
			 2005 51 
			 2006 66 
			 2007 72 
		
	
	The fees were increased in March 1998 to take account of inflation. Fees were increased in December 1999 to pay for service improvements, including the opening of an additional passport office, and a range of customer service enhancements including the creation of 24/7 call centres and extended public office opening hours, following the passport crisis that year, and to recover cost deficits incurred during the crisis.
	Fees were increased in November 2002 in order to complete the recovery of deficits incurred in 1999 and to take account of increases in the cost of consular assistance to British nationals travelling abroad.
	Fees were increased in October 2003 to pay for improved anti fraud measures and the introduction of the secure delivery service for passports.
	Increases in December 2005 and October 2006 were a two stage increase to pay for the development and introduction of biometric passports and further improvements in security, including interviews for adult first time applicants.
	The increase announced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for October 2007 is to pay for increased costs in providing consular assistance to British nationals travelling abroad.

Police Air Support Units

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are employed in police air support units in each police authority area.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 June 2007
	The available data are given in the following table. The officers in the table are predominantly employed either as pilots, ground crew, air observers or in administrative functions connected with air support, as well as other supporting roles. A number of police staff are also involved in these roles, but are not included in the table.
	
		
			  Police officers (FTE)( 1)  whose main function is Air( 2) 
			   As at  31 March 2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 7 
			 Bedfordshire 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 
			 Cheshire 5 
			 Cleveland 6 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6 
			 Dorset 11 
			 Durham 4 
			 Essex 8 
			 Gloucestershire 3 
			 Greater Manchester 22 
			 Hampshire 6 
			 Hertfordshire 4 
			 Humberside 10 
			 Kent 0 
			 Lancashire 11 
			 Leicestershire 3 
			 Lincolnshire 0 
			 London, City of 0 
			 Merseyside 13 
			 Metropolitan police 20 
			 Norfolk 2 
			 Northamptonshire 3 
			 Northumbria 10 
			 North Yorkshire 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 
			 South Yorkshire 11 
			 Staffordshire 4 
			 Suffolk 7 
			 Surrey 8 
			 Sussex 4 
			 Thames Valley 9 
			 Warwickshire 3 
			 West Mercia 3 
			 West Midlands 12 
			 West Yorkshire 14 
			 Wiltshire 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7 
			 Gwent 5 
			 North Wales 9 
			 South Wales 5 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables.

Police Air Support Units

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was provided for police air support units in each police authority area in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 June 2007
	 The Home Office has provided the following sums, in capital grant for Air Support, to Authorities over the past five years. Where Consortia have bid for funding, the allocation is listed against the 'Lead' Force.
	
		
			  Force  Consortium  Funding (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset Western Counties 25,000 
			 Bedfordshire Chiltern (1)— 
			 Cambridgeshire East Anglia 1,421,000 
			 Cheshire  374,000 
			 Cleveland North East (2)— 
			 Cumbria  (5)— 
			 Derbyshire North Midlands 861,000 
			 Devon and Cornwall  1,236,000 
			 Dorset  222,000 
			 Durham North East (2)— 
			 Dyfed-Powys  280,000 
			 Essex  92,000 
			 Gloucestershire Western Counties (3)— 
			 Greater Manchester  787,000 
			 Gwent S and E Wales (4)— 
			 Hampshire   
			 Hertfordshire Chiltern (1)— 
			 Humberside  243,000 
			 Kent  (5)— 
			 Lancashire   
			 Leicestershire East Midlands 1,491,000 
			 Lincolnshire  (5)— 
			 Merseyside  24,000 
			 Metropolitan Police  7,886,000 
			 Norfolk  (6)— 
			 Northamptonshire East Midlands (7)— 
			 Northumbria North East 547,000 
			 North Wales  261,000 
			 North Yorkshire  (5)— 
			 Nottinghamshire North Midlands (8)— 
			 South Wales S and E Wales (6)— 
			 South Yorkshire  392,000 
			 Staffordshire Central Counties (9)— 
			 Suffolk East Anglia 37,000 
			 Surrey  924,000 
			 Sussex  67,000 
			 Thames Valley Chiltern 851,000 
			 Warwickshire East Midlands (7)— 
			 West Mercia Central Counties 8,000 
			 West Midlands  1,726,000 
			 West Yorkshire  367,000 
			 Wiltshire  (6)— 
			 (1) See Thames Valley (2 )See Northumbria (3 )See Avon and Somerset (4 )See South Wales (5 )No ASU (6) Leased aircraft (7) See Leics (8) See Derbyshire (9 )See West Mercia

Police High Potential Development Scheme

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Police High Potential Development Scheme.

Tony McNulty: Policy, selection and co-ordination of the Police High Potential Development Scheme is now a matter for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). The NPIA is reviewing the current High Potential Development Scheme alongside a wider process of developing the future strategy for police leadership, as set out in the priorities of the NPIA's published business plan.

Police: Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) male and  (b) female chief constables there are in England and Wales; what steps he is taking to encourage greater numbers of female chief constables in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: There are currently 39 male and five female chief constables in England and Wales. The data currently available are for ACPO ranks and are previously been published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Police Service Strength in England and Wales 31 March 2006 (13/06), which is available in the Library of the House and can be downloaded from:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1306.pdf
	Table 4 in the bulletin contains the number of police officers in each force in England and Wales broken down by gender and rank. Promoting policing equality and diversity is a matter for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) working with the police service. I understand from the NPIA Chief Executive that there are a number of programmes geared to encouraging progression of staff within ACPO ranks including, HPDS ( High Potential Development Scheme) and NSCAS ( National Senior Careers Advisory Scheme).

Police: Road Traffic Control

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of  (a) 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 503W and  (b) 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 618W, on the police: road traffic control, how many dedicated traffic police officers there are in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The numbers of dedicated traffic police officers are not collected centrally.
	The available data are the numbers of full-time equivalent police officers primarily employed in the function 'traffic'. On this basis, there were 6,511 officers in post on 31 March 2006.
	A corresponding figure for 31 March 2007 will be available when the police personnel statistics for 2006-07 are published on 26 July.

Proceeds of Crime: Wales

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been recovered by the  (a) Assets Recovery Agency and  (b) Proceeds of Crime Department of the Serious Organised Crime Agency relating to crime in the South Wales Police Authority area in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In 2005-06 the Assets Recovery Agency assisted South Wales police in obtaining a confiscation order with a value of £3.3 million.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was established on 1 April 2006. It is a national agency and does not hold figures relating to UK police authorities. In their first annual report, published on 18 May, SOCA show the approximate value of their work in the UK to recover criminal assets. These figures do not include totals of cash seizures which have been made by their domestic partners.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, what assessment he has made of the progress made by the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board in each of the five core areas.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with a number of partners to progress work on the accreditation of imams; the development of leadership skills for imams and mosque officials; the inclusion of young people and women; improvement in the governance of mosques; and supporting mosques to contribute to community cohesion and to combating extremism. The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB), an independent body, is one of the key channels through which this agenda is being taken forward.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of sexual assault were reported in  (a) England and  (b) each of the regions (i) in total and (ii) in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: The available information relates to offences recorded by the police in England and in each region and is given in the table. Statistics for parliamentary constituencies are not available centrally.
	
		
			  Serious assaults recorded by the police in England 
			  Number of offences 
			  Region  Rape  Sexual assault( 1)  Total 
			  2003 - 04
			 North East 555 1,383 1,938 
			 North West 1,757 4,033 5,790 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,278 2,919 4,197 
			 East Midlands 1,112 2,475 3,587 
			 West Midlands 1,370 3,380 4,750 
			 East of England 1,251 2,774 4,025 
			 London 2,575 5,832 8,407 
			 South East 1,633 4,118 5,751 
			 South West 1,201 2,558 3,759 
			 England 12,732 29,472 42,204 
			 
			  2005-05
			 North East 578 1,201 1,779 
			 North West 1,836 3,693 5,529 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,335 2,433 3,768 
			 East Midlands 1,141 2,476 3,617 
			 West Midlands 1,574 3,012 4,586 
			 East of England 1,290 2,424 3,714 
			 London 2,453 4,985 7,438 
			 South East 1,966 3,874 5,840 
			 South West 1,266 2,297 3,563 
			 England 13,439 26,395 39,834 
			 
			  2005-06
			 North East 690 1,236 1,926 
			 North West 1,807 3,255 5,062 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,438 2,442 3,880 
			 East Midlands 1,200 2,287 3,487 
			 West Midlands 1,552 2,825 4,377 
			 East of England 1,430 2,203 3,633 
			 London 2,404 4,486 6,890 
			 South East 2,113 3,573 5,686 
			 South West 1,200 2,198 3,398 
			 England 13,834 24,505 38,339 
			 (1) Includes recorded offences of indecent assault on a male or female and sexual assault on a male or female.  Note: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Sexual Offences: Detection Rates

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the detection rate was for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual offences in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the tables.
	Data are available for 1997 calendar year and from 1998-99 in financial years. This followed a revision to the counting rules for recorded crime and the expanded coverage which came into effect on 1 April 1998. The figures were also affected by the revised detections guidance issued in April 1999 which formalised detection procedures, placing a greater emphasis on the evidential basis on which detections can be claimed. They were also affected by the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002, which required the police to record a crime unless there was
	"no credible evidence to the contrary".
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 also altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences, in particular, indecent exposure is now classified as a sexual offence. All these changes mean that detection rates are not comparable over this time period.
	The existing statistical evidence suggests that both the changes to detections guidance and the introduction of NCRS had a marked impact in reducing detection rates for sexual offences since 1997. The Home Office is currently researching in detail recent changes in detection rates in rape cases in England and Wales, including variation between forces. This is expected to be published shortly.
	New performance management arrangements have been introduced for the police and CPS on the investigation and prosecution of rape. The Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers are also providing operational support to police forces on the implementation of recommendations from Without Consent, the rape inspection published in January 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1: Detection rates( 1)  for rape offences by police force area 
			  Police force area  1997  1998-99  1999-2000( 3)  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 86 74 62 43 27 22 21 18 22 
			 Bedfordshire 70 56 43 34 25 29 21 23 23 
			 Cambridgeshire 79 62 56 50 46 29 15 21 22 
			 Cheshire 100 98 87 86 81 48 29 28 28 
			 Cleveland 89 91 73 59 65 41 31 22 38 
			 Cumbria 97 93 91 70 74 64 30 30 35 
			 Derbyshire 93 73 52 38 39 35 33 31 30 
			 Devon and Cornwall 92 89 96 77 49 30 19 26 18 
			 Dorset 94 78 50 36 39 25 17 17 17 
			 Durham 93 95 85 91 n/a 68 71 60 26 
			 Dyfed-Powys 95 91 89 109 76 91 25 35 18 
			 Essex 79 65 64 50 33 32 29 27 25 
			 Gloucestershire 89 69 66 70 57 31 28 29 19 
			 Greater Manchester 85 74 64 58 55 46 32 30 31 
			 Gwent 100 91 92 98 93 80 78 52 40 
			 Hampshire 79 99 65 58 53 41 34 26 21 
			 Hertfordshire 88 96 78 66 62 50 50 38 41 
			 Humberside 65 58 33 37 33 23 20 22 23 
			 Kent 92 85 90 57 56 38 27 22 22 
			 Lancashire 91 83 79 53 47 52 35 37 35 
			 Leicestershire 72 43 37 37 n/a 26 28 23 19 
			 Lincolnshire 124 82 87 67 50 40 28 31 24 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 50 22 100 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 90 78 69 66 53 47 43 35 24 
			 Metropolitan Police 58 32 28 24 27 29 33 25 36 
			 Norfolk 68 94 37 35 36 24 18 21 23 
			 Northamptonshire 96 82 95 70 64 53 37 32 33 
			 Northumbria 85 68 61 50 43 36 30 25 29 
			 North Wales 89 92 85 59 35 26 29 27 25 
			 North Yorkshire 87 105 62 73 59 43 41 41 34 
			 Nottinghamshire 83 55 46 51 36 34 27 36 27 
			 South Wales 99 93 88 91 90 62 53 60 29 
			 South Yorkshire 96 79 88 75 72 40 38 30 24 
			 Staffordshire 86 68 39 38 35 40 32 30 26 
			 Suffolk 74 73 29 36 30 30 26 21 25 
			 Surrey 56 48 45 28 42 32 35 26 32 
			 Sussex 80 55 47 34 35 26 24 15 21 
			 Thames Valley 90 59 52 26 32 27 18 24 22 
			 Warwickshire 79 79 55 52 30 27 19 25 19 
			 West Mercia 91 87 64 56 44 37 35 31 27 
			 West Midlands 77 68 59 53 45 41 32 25 29 
			 West Yorkshire 90 83 76 71 55 42 31 25 25 
			 Wiltshire 96 73 68 31 46 37 41 32 33 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Offences detected in current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year, so some percentages may exceed 100. (2) Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. (3) Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999. (4) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (5) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Detection( 1)  rates for other sexual offences (excluding rape) by police force area 
			  Police force area  1997  1998/99( 2)  1999/00( 3)  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03( 4)  2003/04  2004/05( 5)  2005/06 
			 Avon and Somerset 76 68 62 48 33 29 29 22 29 
			 Bedfordshire 70 54 55 57 45 44 29 41 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 71 67 74 60 51 38 32 30 31 
			 Cheshire 94 90 84 87 79 58 49 40 35 
			 Cleveland 77 78 85 81 85 69 60 51 47 
			 Cumbria 90 88 87 86 72 57 51 46 51 
			 Derbyshire 80 79 66 55 66 48 49 37 33 
			 Devon and Cornwall 84 87 90 82 62 48 39 33 33 
			 Dorset 82 75 67 58 53 47 33 31 35 
			 Durham 91 80 93 81 n/a 59 77 69 37 
			 Dyfed-Powys 94 96 95 93 95 91 52 46 48 
			 Essex 68 64 67 57 55 43 40 36 31 
			 Gloucestershire 80 69 72 67 64 42 38 35 34 
			 Greater Manchester 70 72 65 62 58 54 46 30 35 
			 Gwent 95 87 94 91 90 83 81 57 48 
			 Hampshire 79 102 76 66 62 59 44 36 31 
			 Hertfordshire 69 80 72 65 75 54 55 41 43 
			 Humberside 66 60 43 46 38 41 33 30 37 
			 Kent 85 80 78 59 59 49 43 29 32 
			 Lancashire 81 76 75 62 52 61 48 41 44 
			 Leicestershire 78 63 58 46 n/a 35 33 28 33 
			 Lincolnshire 124 84 78 73 68 33 40 41 38 
			 London, City of 74 59 40 38 67 45 35 44 45 
			 Merseyside 81 72 66 69 56 53 47 41 38 
			 Metropolitan Police 62 46 34 33 34 34 35 25 34 
			 Norfolk 91 82 72 51 50 37 46 38 68 
			 Northamptonshire 92 81 84 81 70 53 62 52 39 
			 Northumbria 71 68 58 58 52 51 49 35 47 
			 North Wales 90 93 90 67 58 38 45 42 46 
			 North Yorkshire 77 87 71 74 69 59 54 50 51 
			 Nottinghamshire 76 62 57 47 46 48 46 47 48 
			 South Wales 87 86 84 82 78 59 52 36 34 
			 South Yorkshire 82 84 78 77 67 51 53 38 35 
			 Staffordshire 80 68 37 40 39 55 52 41 36 
			 Suffolk 85 75 72 60 54 57 40 43 45 
			 Surrey 69 110 59 45 45 43 44 34 36 
			 Sussex 76 60 57 48 50 43 41 31 37 
			 Thames Valley 76 61 53 49 44 34 36 29 34 
			 Warwickshire 93 78 62 51 60 48 34 42 42 
			 West Mercia 82 79 69 61 51 49 50 41 48 
			 West Midlands 68 63 60 54 55 44 38 30 34 
			 West Yorkshire 84 74 80 73 67 55 39 32 28 
			 Wiltshire 84 87 68 40 52 42 42 37 41 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Offences detected in current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year, so some percentages may exceed 100. (2) Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. (3) Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999. (4) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (5) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. 
		
	
	—continued

Sexual Offences: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he plans to take to prevent registered sex offenders using social networking sites to access or groom children.

Vernon Coaker: We published the 'Review of the Protection of Children from Sex Offenders' on 13 June. The review lists a number of actions to be taken, including providing for registered sex offenders to be required to notify the police of their e-mail addresses. This information could then be used to help with the management of offenders. In the review, we also recognised the need to develop the capability to monitor the online activities of child sex offenders, and we will investigate the possibility of developing software to install on offenders' computers to do this.
	Sexual Offences Preventions Orders (SOPOs), introduced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, are intended to protect the public, including children, from the risks posed by sex offenders, by imposing prohibitions on them. For example, a prohibition could be imposed on an offender to stop him using social networking sites. Failure to comply with such a prohibition would be a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
	We have also set up a working group which includes representatives from social network providers, law enforcement and children's charities, to look at the safety issues for children caused by the development and growth of social networking sites and develop good practice guidelines.

Sexual Offences: Police Cautions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many official cautions were issued for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire, (vi) Norfolk and (vii) England in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Decisions on cautioning are entirely an operational matter for local police forces. Serious sexual offences are very unlikely to be suitable for a caution. In a small number of cases local police and CPS may decide that it is not in the public interest to take a case to court (e.g. where a 16-year-old boy has consensual sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend).
	Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants cautioned for rape and other sexual offences in the relevant police force areas in England between 1997 and 2005 can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			  N umber of offenders cautioned for rape offences in the relevant police force areas and in England between 1997 and 2005( 1,2,3,,4) 
			  Rape offences 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 0 3 3 3 0 0 26 
			 1998 1 1 2 3 3 4 25 
			 1999 0 3 3 1 1 1 32 
			 2000 0 1 2 0 0 8 37 
			 2001 0 2 1 0 2 2 39 
			 2002 0 4 1 0 2 3 31 
			 2003 0 1 1 1 2 5 39 
			 2004 0 2 4 0 1 2 40 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 0 2 22 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2003. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of defendants cautioned for sexual offences not including rape in certain police force areas and England, 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Other sexual offences 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 21 30 49 7 38 26 1,782 
			 1998 25 24 51 16 36 26 1,596 
			 1999 14 29 39 18 18 21 1,346 
			 2000 12 16 36 22 18 26 1,175 
			 2001 22 23 26 10 15 28 1,143 
			 2002 37 16 30 6 13 20 1,091 
			 2003 19 19 30 11 29 28 1,226 
			 2004 27 22 30 27 38 41 1,424 
			 2005 13 32 40 27 30 28 1,643 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2003. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Sexual Offences: Wales

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of sexual assault were reported in Wales  (a) in total and  (b) in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: The available information relates to offences recorded by the police in Wales and is given in the table. Statistics for parliamentary constituencies are not available centrally.
	
		
			  Serious assaults recorded by the police in Wales 
			  Number of offences 
			   Rape  Sexual assault ( 1)  Total 
			 2003-04 514 1,308 1,822 
			 2004-05 560 1,240 1,800 
			 2005-06 595 1,166 1,761 
			 (1) Includes recorded offences of indecent assault on a male or female and sexual assault on a male or female.  Note: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 977W, on speed limits: cameras, by what means his Department estimates the time spent by police on road policing in each year.

Vernon Coaker: No meaningful estimate would be possible. Officers whose main function is traffic may undertake other duties too, and all officers can undertake roads policing duties from time to time as appropriate in their normal course of work.

Stop and Search: Vehicles

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1518-20W, on stop and search: vehicles, when the figures on vehicle stop and searches for  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07 will be available; whether these figures are available for the Metropolitan Police; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The 2005-06 annual statistical bulletin 'Arrest for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE', which includes information on stop and searches, will be published later this year.
	Once the bulletin is issued a breakdown of published data covering 'vehicle only' searches will be published; at this time figures will also be available by force area.
	2006-07 data will be made available in 2008.

Vehicle Number Plates

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of drivers falsely accused of motoring offences because of the fraudulent cloning of number plates in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of drivers falsely accused of motoring offences due to inaccuracies in the automated number plate recognition database in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of motoring offences that the police have been unable to pursue due to inaccuracies in the automated number plate recognition database.

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible to estimate the number of drivers falsely accused of motoring offences because of the fraudulent cloning of number plates; the number of drivers falsely accused of motoring offences due to inaccuracies in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) databases or the number of motoring offences that the police have been unable to pursue due to inaccuracies in the ANPR database as these figures are not collected centrally. ANPR is used as the starting point to investigate offences and is not in itself used to press charges or comment on prosecutions.

Vehicle Number Plates

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of the pilot scheme Operation Laser using automatic number plate recognition; which police forces are participating in the pilot scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Since the first Home Office pilot began in 2002, the police use of ANPR technology has resulted in more than 50,000 arrests; ANPR has now been rolled out across all police forces in England and Wales. Significantly, in the last three years it has delivered two to three times more 'offences brought to justice' (OBtJ) when compared to conventional policing methods. Much of this success is attributable to police intercept teams operating at the roadside although more recently, the benefits of ANPR as a police-intelligence and investigation tool has been realised by its ability to identify vehicles linked to many different types of criminal offending. It has consistently impacted on criminal activity at all levels, but particularly that involving drugs, cross-border crime and disqualified driving. With the help of new enabling-legislation, police ANPR intercept teams have been extremely effective in seizing vehicles for document offences.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) assumed policy and operational oversight for ANPR from April this year. It is now seeking to embed the learning from the ANPR pilots into mainstream policing practice within police forces.

Vehicle Number Plates: Fraud

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of crimes involving number plate fraud in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not centrally available

Vehicle Number Plates: Legal Opinion

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has received on the legality of automatic number plate recognition systems.

Tony McNulty: All data gathered by the police using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) are covered by existing legislation. Home Office officials have been working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to ensure that information collected by ANPR technologies and retained by the police is cognisant of the relevant data protection legislation. The ACPO guidance is designed to ensure that the principles detailed in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are followed by all police forces.

Vehicle Number Plates: Theft

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the level of number plate theft in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Latest published figures from the 2004-05 British Crime survey show that number plates were stolen in 1.9 per cent. of all thefts from vehicles, and in 5 per cent. of thefts where vehicle external fittings were stolen.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how money which has been sent to detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre is  (a) secured and  (b) accounted for; and how many complaints were made about missing amounts in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: Detainees at Yarl's Wood hold their own money in possession. The centre has facilities to store monies and valuables on their behalf should they require it. There have been no complaints recorded relating to missing money.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre in terms of  (a) access to medical records,  (b) curtailment of effective visiting time,  (c) quality of food and service of food,  (d) choice in the provision of sanitary products,  (e) treatment of visitors,  (f) availability of telephone and fax services,  (g) access to advice and information and  (h) availability of stationery and postage stamps; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The provision of services to detainees at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre is subject to self audit by Serco which operates the centre under contract to the Border and Immigration Agency. The self audit process is in turn audited by Border and Immigration Agency staff and is subject to routine monitoring and scrutiny by the Border and Immigration Agency managers in the site monitoring team. There is also an Independent Monitoring Board that has unrestricted access to the centre 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and also has direct access to the Secretary of State's office. The establishment is also subject to regular inspection by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons. Whenever issues arise concerning the provision of services including those listed in the question, both the on site Border and Immigration Agency staff and the contractor are committed to resolving concerns and improving systems accordingly. Since 26 April 2007 Serco has only received one complaint, this was in relation to the availability of telephone and fax services, and this was addressed immediately.